#they're still deep in my heart just not in this collage ...

[sunugf]

─ tagged by @karinablrr & @talksaxy thank you beloveds, i was cracking my knuckles as soon as i saw what this was exactly 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

─ tagging @ashmp3 @acebytaemin @moonsua @sheawolfmp3 (only if you want to ofc!) and whoever wants to do it bc it's really fun <3

[annbourbon]

Beyond The Planets: What The Planets really are in the Cheritzverse

(yes, they're not just The Ssum)

Okay;;; I had several WTF moments while writing this post and you're about to see why. But before that, if you need a quick refreshment on how Karmic Laws work, you should read this post, cause we're about to delve even more into it. Also, this is intended to be a long post because it's gonna be 2 or 3 posts in one, since they're connected.

Also, there were tons of pics to support this post and I could not fit them all into one no matter how hard I tried making collages and stuff~ hence this ended up becoming a two parts post, with the second and third (probably more incoming~) part posting only the images I couldn't fit here. Thank you!!!

♡ Beyond The Planets ~ Part 2

♡ Beyond The Planets ~ Part 3

Quick Guide ~ Beyond Planets

There are two types of planets inside The Ssum. Stationary and Seasonal planets. These stationary and seasonal planets hold a purpose, like, in theory you can say they are nothing but just planets. However if you pay attention to what they say~ you have several things.

So far I'm working with 4 planets to unravel the mysteries so far: Root of desire, Crotune, Bamboo Forest of Troubles and Momint.

Although my theory is that they all are tied and work to supply each other.

Also, being honest, to delve in great detail in each of the planets would take me forever so this is just the basics and the descriptions, to tie them with the rest of the Cheritzverse thread but not an actual guide of how they work or what you find inside them. Because it's so much more~

Mobile/Seasonal Planets

These planets are supposed to be like "seasons" that come and go~ and the characters (LI) are basically changing their appearance, and the emojis, even the background every time there's a new planet~

1. Vanas

2. Mewry

3. Crotune

4. Tolup

5. Cloudi

6. Burni

7. Pi

8. Momint

Emotion/Stationary Planets

I tried to put them all together but it's kind of difficult to do it so~

Then you have the other planets that are kind of like our solar system~ always there.

1. City of Free Men

2. Root of Desire

3. Canals of Sensitivity

4. Archive of Sentences

5. Milky Way of Gratitude

6. Bamboo Forest of Troubles

7. Mountains of Wandering Humor

8. Archive of Terran Info

Now that we have them, let's delve into the Karmic Laws, which at this point I don't think it's a coincidence the way they are, but I'm also not sure I can properly identify them myself as I'm still learning them and besides, many of them repeat. But it's up to you to decide~

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆From Stationary Planets⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

* According to Wikipedia these are called Emotion Planets.

City of Free Men

Karmic Laws: Growth and open mindness. (???)

Described as a place to build a Lab where you can study what you want. For bored participants to get rid of boredom.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Root of Desire

Karmic Laws: You create your reality

Described as a planet to send your desires into the universe. All sorts of desires are drawn to this planet. So you get to share and unleash the desire deep inside your heart it with the souls visiting. (This planet is best friends with desire for shopping. Or so it says~)

*Beware. You might be taken over by your desire if you stay for too long.

As a note: When you "create a desire" it asks you things like, what do you want, need~~

And offers things in the following categories:

♡ Object ♡ Human ♡ Romance ♡ Wealth

♡ Life ♡ Career ♡ Academics ♡ Inner

♡ Family ♡ Others

Following that, it asks you to specify the desire:

♡ Express it in relation to reality

♡ Express it freely like a dream

And no, there is no coming back. So you need to choose well. IMO, this feels like creating a spell, or making a deal with the Wizard. You even send signals for your wish to become real. And if you express it in relation to reality, you need to set a date for your wish to become true.

The planet itself feels a bit too much like you're actually trading something or shopping. The mention of souls specifically, to share it with another soul or send signals, I don't know if I'm overthinking things but it feels like being in some kind of black market. It reminds me a bit of Nameless but I still fail to see how~ and in a way I think it's similar to Crotune yet not the same.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Canals of Sensitivity

Karmic Laws: Compassion.

Described as a place to read or write. From a diary, a single line to show how depressed you are, a short story or even a novel is welcomed. Support is also welcomed.

You can follow writers, although you cannot follow more than 10.

I feel they're mocking us lololol how depressed~

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Archive of Sentences

Karmic Laws: Evolution(?)

Languages of harmony that calls forth universal human agreement is collecting... A variety of energy will rise simply by reading trending terms, golden quotes, and impressive sentences."

You have discovered a place where sentences would gather!

Did you know that reading sentences that touch on your heart will help you with self-improvement?

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Milky Way of Gratitude

Karmic Laws: Gratitude. Generosity.

This Milky Way was born from millions of gratitude! What do you feel grateful about for the day? I am grateful for the electronic waves from a satellite that I had early this morning.

Although no scientific evidence exists, they say if you show gratitude with all your heart you will get to find yourself lucky. Journal studies on gratitude are receiving more spotlights on Earth, and the details on the effect of gratitude are becoming more widespread among people.

At the Milky Way of Gratitude, you can write a relay of, share, and send support for Gratitude Diaries!

Try writing a diary now! I wish your future will be full of luck.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Bamboo Forest of Troubles

Karmic Laws: Compassion, interdependence (???)

"If you have troubles, visit the Bamboo Forest of Troubles to scream them out. People will not be able to tell voices in this forest."

At this bamboo forest, everyone is anonymous!

When you find something upsetting at school or work... When troubles just will not leave you alone...

If you have any woe, trouble, or dilemma, unleash it in this place!

You might find supports from people and get back on your feet. Or you might find yourself at the center of new gossip.

But of course, you can make use of the anonymity and ask and answer stuff you might be otherwise too embarrassed to ask or answer!

Relieve your heart of whatever weight it carries at this bamboo forest and feel free to talk and make discussions.

If I'm to be honest~ I didn't understand this at first until I saw Mr Queen K-Drama and I realized some of the characters go to an actual Bamboo Forest to start screaming their pain and wishes.

As a quiet reminder~ the Wizard said that only those with desperate wishes can see him.

So this and Crotune where when I started to reconsider, what if The Ssum is basically a «set up» to make The Wizard stronger? Or what if all these years that we've been looking for The Wizard hideout~ it turns that the place is~ "The Ssum"?

It's also interesting to mention that has a crazy doctor, who disappeared in mysterious circumstances and it's supposedly responsible for The Lab and PIUPIU.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Mountains of Wandering Humor

Karmic Laws: Living the moment (???)

Do not trust the signals from the Mountains of Wandering Humor. Once you do, you would wish you have never trusted them."

So you have found the Mountains of Wandering Humor, where laughs (or fake laughs) are drawn to. Are you good at making jokes?

Is there anything funny you have to share?

Or... Are you good at making dad jokes...?

Then try debuting as a comedian and let your jokes take flight! If you are not good at making jokes, you can try evaluating jokes you would find.

If you smirked, make an applause.

If you were awed, give a gift.

If you were disappointed, give a taste of your disappointment.

If you were utterly disappointed, fling them to the trashcan...!

Good jokes will last on this planet as long as they can. We hope you would enjoy your time relieving yourself from stress at the Mountains of Wandering Humor...!

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Archive of Terran Info

Karmic Laws: ???

This is the Archive of Terran Info, where you can find a myriad of knowledge and information! Try determining what kind of information you could make use of at this place.

And you can even try being the messenger of information in this place.

If you have any top secret only you are aware of, try sharing it here!

Q. What kind of bulletin boards can I find?

1) The Ssum: questions, answers, and information about this application

2) Life Tips: information that could be useful (or not) in daily life

3) Free Info: free exchange of information (secrets of UFO, for example...)

Q. What can I do if I find a post that is not useful?

Answer: Please send us the frequency by tapping Not Helpful! Or you can jot down information in the comments section that can make the post useful.

Q. Wow! I found something that is really useful to me!

Answer: Send support or show gratitude with a comment. The writer will greatly appreciate it.

Q. My post was voted as not helpful...

Answer: How disappointing... Try visiting Planet Mewry. Or just deal with it.

That is it for this AMA. I hope you would enjoy your stay in this archive!

So according to this~ we're basically spies and messengers who are working under the Lab orders. Cool. Not really~

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆From Seasonal Planets⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

Vanas

Karmic Laws: Truth/Honesty, Humility

We have detected a unique planet that is perfectly parallel to planet Venus. So we are sending the love signal from this planet to Earth.

Do you dream of sweet love?

Take courage and see what lies within you!

And find out what he is hiding little by little!

Welcome to Vanas, a planet full of energy of love!

"This banana-shaped planet is sweet and charming. Believe it or not, the legends say its name originated from the goddess of love."

You have discovered Planet Vanas, a pioneering site for truth!

Planet Vanas has this... This mystical energy that can separate one of its planetary layers into a personal dimension! Now, let us pioneer for the truth within your truth, as if peeling a banana. Please save in this planet all the positive truth and negative truth about you.

You are the only one who can see them. I wonder what kind of change you will go through as you learn about yourself.

At Planet Vanas, you will get to come in contact with visions that portray your inner world and pose you questions on a continuous basis. Nurture your inner world through questions your visions bring you!

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Mewry

Karmic Laws: Detachment.

We have discovered a planet composed of substances similar to sweat and tears.

Its shape resembles a complicated heart. So we are sending a complicated yet warm signal.

Very carefully unraveling knots of planet Mewry... This planet resembles an intricately raveled yarn. It may look a bit gloomy and wounded, but it is quite healthy."

Oww... My heart aches whenever I visit Planet Mewry.

(as I am an A.I. and therefore have no pain, I can only emit ’sadness...’)

In this planet, you will get to explore the sadness within. Please make sure you have your handkerchief with you.

Once you explore your pain, you might get to find new memories that you did not realize were a pain.

And... If you would like, we could activate the algorithm that takes away the pain.

Please calibrate your rate of visit on Planet Mewry according to the degree of your pain.

They say pain, guilt, rage, and evasion are all closely interconnected. We hope you would get to find the journey of healing here on Planet Mewry!

Mewry says to take the pain away from you.

If that sounds creepy is because it is! Pain is part of life, you cannot have true happiness if you don't know the other side of the coin, and life it's not meant to be plain and simple. One of my favorite quotes comes from Forrest Gump~ life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Because it's true! So pain is not to be avoided. And if we're honest, there's some kind of pain and some kind of fear that will never go away, it will transform, always ready to hurt. To attack. So you have to do it anyways.

But according to Mewry, they can take it away~ if only that were to be true, I would be first in line after my trauma with Harry's route lol

Maybe it's because these days I've been crying a lot~ it occurred to me that Mewry it's the planet of Memories?

I mean lolol I saw "Mewry" through tears and I thought it said "Memories" and when we think of the context of this planet, it kind of made sense?

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Crotune

Karmic Laws: ???

Transmission from planet Crotune.

No matter how sweet it is, sometimes love cannot contain its shape. For instance, love often crumbles at the face of reality.

Hopefully your love will hold him steadfast. So we are sending sweet yet bitter signal.

You have discovered a planet as sweet as a chocolate. It is a mysterious place that can melt down like your dreams but also bring bitterness like the reality. In case you are torn between dreams and reality, please pay a visit to this planet.

[Dr. C, the chief lab researcher]

"Oh no! Unexpected strife of heart is causing meltdown in Mt. Crotune!"

"This planet is recently born, fresh and sweet. However, beware. There is a bitter cacao river bending here and there in the middle of its sweetness."

If you have an ambition or a goal, you could make use of the algorithms on Planet Crotune.

Is your dream an ambition that can be realized? Or is it merely a daydream?

Sweet are the fruits of your goal, but bitter is the journey towards your goal. (Phew...)

Tend to your dreams on Planet Crotune!

You can get consistent help with your dreams on this planet.

Described as a planet for Desperate Wishes.

It was the mix of playing The Ssum, Mystic Messenger by myself, and Dandelion (with @cherrychipheart and @smol-grey-tea ) at the same time that made me realize several things and create this post. But the connection wouldn't be possible without Crotune. See this is why playing Dandelion is vital to understand the connections between the four games Cheritz now has~

IMHO from all the planets, Crotune is the one that looks similar to talking to the Wizard. While in several planets (Vanas included) they have a motto that says "you don't exchange things like in other planets~~ and the need of balance"

There's also the turning sweetness into bitterness, and many other lines that keep reminding me the Wizard. So I believe you should be careful not to drop your wishes in Crotune lol because maybe the Wizard will take advantage of it. After all only those with desperate wishes can see the Wizard.

So one of the several theories I'll be dropping on this post is: What if the place we've been looking for is this, "The Ssum"?

In a sense it would make sense since it has also a "crazy doctor" supposedly responsible for the Lab and PiuPiu. There are also a lot of Planets.

Although another theory taking more strength, the more I delve into all this~ is that we, players, by controlling MC~ and being messenger and spies, playing with time/space, we did something. Something which has awakened "The Angel".

How The Wizard enters in this? Is he the Angel? So far I have no answers.

The only thing is that it's painfully obvious, The Angel, PIUPIU, The Wizard and MC know about time travel.

And sometimes the other characters break the fourth wall. Characters such as:

Mystic Messenger:

♡ Jaehee ♡ Yoosung ♡ Saeyoung

♡ Jumin ♡ Saeran ♡ Zen

The Ssum:

♡ Henri ♡ June ♡ Teo ♡ Harry

* I haven't played enough Nameless and Dandelion to know if the 4th wall is broken at some point, so it you know~ do tell and I will edit this.

Another thing that is for sure~ The Angel knows of the future and keeps protecting MC.

But do as you wish~

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Tolup

Karmic Laws: Evolution, you create your reality. Responsibility. Growth and open mindness. Ripple effect.

Transmission from planet Tolup.

We have discovered a planet in the shape of a beautiful flower.

People say the red tulip stands for perfect love. It has been quite a while since you and [your Ssumone] have met.

Do you think your love is perfect as of now? So we are sending fragrant signal.

Have a beautiful day...

"New seeds of love have been discovered in the third moon of planet Tolup."

"This fragrant planet resembles a certain flower. It is said only those who know its floral language would realize the true love of this planet."

This is Planet Tolup, the home to a beautiful natural environment that is very much alive!

Tend to this land like Mother Nature would and discover spiritlings hiding underground!

A spiritling comes with infinite potentials - it can become anything!

A spiritling may grow into a legendary spirit.

Depending on the way you raise a spirit, a spirit like none other may be born!

I shall watch what kind of spirit your spiritling will grow into. I can feel my heart dancing!Oh, right!

A well-grown spirit will always make a return for the care it has received. You will get to see for yourself what good it will bring you... Hehe...

Described as a planet for infinite potential.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Cloudi

Network.

Karmic Laws: Interconnection and interdependence.

Transmission from planet Cloudi

We can pick up a vast variety of signals from this planet. The signals we are sending you from this planet are composed of beautiful melodies of revolution by satellites making planetary orbits. We hope this melody will make your heart feel lighter.

^&^&Cl%^oudi$%!&**^^connection*)uuuuunstable#$$$

"Possessing the greatest number of satellites, this planet resembles a cotton candy. It seems lumpy and relaxed."

Are you experienced in one-on-one conversation? Planet Cloudi is home to social networks! You can write your profile and find new friends. It is not easy to find a friend you can perfectly get along with... But it is not impossible.

According to the statistics, you can meet at least one good friend if you try ten times on average!

As long as you keep trying and defeat your shyness...You might get to meet a precious friend other than [your Ssumone] with whom you could enjoy a cordial conversation. So let us compose your profile right now!

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Pi

Karmic Laws: Living the present.

Transmission from planet Pi

The approximate value of the radius of this planet is 3.14159... We are making full use of our equipment to find out all the digits, but even our equipment are failing us. Wait, do I smell something burning?

Checking signals...

"What is this scent? It reminds me of... A sweet, burning pie..."

"This pie-shaped planet blazes for 365 days a year. It is very hot and passionate, enough to make your heart leap."

How to Use Planet Pi

1) Spin the pie.

2) Get your reward.

...That is it. Enjoy the pie. I mean, enjoy your stay!

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Burny

Karmic Laws: Growth. Open mindness. Interconnection. Detachment. Patience. Persistence and long term view.

Transmission from planet Burny

Even at a place where everything has burned down, a tiny flower will surely rise. Even at a planet where almost everything is gone, the sunlight will never fade.

"Planet Burny has the most beautiful rings of shine I have ever seen."

"This planet looks like ash that has burned itself out, but it has a ring with pool of dim light. Though its craters seem to be pitch dark as its surface is dark, it is actually bright and warm."

To tell you the truth... I have once been crazy about mentally calculating binary numbers.If you have something you were keenly passionate about, retrace your memories at Planet Burny.

Could you share ’a tip’ on the memories and the subjects of your passion? It could be a great help to someone.

Additionally, if you happen to be looking for a new hobby, you could try searching the ashes of Planet Burny.

Your passion will serve as someone’s passion...

And someone’s passion will serve as your passion. That is what life is about.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Momint

Karmic Laws: Living the present

Transmission from planet Momint

We have picked up a very powerful signal from somewhere. Oh, no. We have a very strong magnetic field. A powerful wormhole has been created by the gravity of this planet.

Warning - Time Machine unstable.

"Planet Momint is a new face in the galaxy, but it possesses a plenty of resources and potential."

"Shaped like a mint-colored eye, this planet is equipped with a sad legend. Only I know what that legend is about, though I do not believe in legends."

Everyone at the Lab was bewildered upon the discovery of this planet... (The background music is weird)

When you enter Planet Momint, it is recommended to somewhat lose (or perhaps completely lose) your mind.

Wow! Anybody can be a god in this place. Make a god with no power at all out of yourself! Say whatever you would like!Or you could be a believer believing in a god not worthy at all to serve!

To give you some knowledge...

Some statistics show that releasing yourself from daily life to instead act with out thinking can help you to deal with your stress. I hope you would enjoy crazy time...

Apparently there's a sad legend here~ does anyone know what could it be? Either we find Dr Cus or~ maybe the fandom knows?

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

Emotions and Frequencies are~

Disclaimer: Things get a bit messy here because of the way I view certain things, this was made before I knew Wikipedia has a page full of information on The Ssum.

Inside the Lab~ (Incubator)

So, my original theory was that emotions have to go into the "lab" and you gotta "cook" them. The term used here is "incubated". Which makes us fill PiuPiu...

...

..

.

But according to Wikipedia, it's the other way around. You need to cook energy. Transform it into an actual emotion~ and use them as currency.

Frequencies are also incubated. 30 of a certain frequency will open a planet.

The Unicorn is pooping all these "frequencies and energy" no, I'm not kidding. I mean it, the unicorn *literally* "poops" lololol

The ball goes from the place where it says passion, for example, through the unicorn butt lol and gets into one of the flasks, so you can cook it. It'll take some time for the flask to finish, sometimes it's quick and others it can take literally hours. There's no actual way to know how much time it's gonna take. But you're supposed to storage it on PiuPiu's Belly.

Once PiuPiu is filled~ we need to go back to the planets and drop everything there. We are, if this wiki page is correct, dropping emotions in each planet.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Emotions(?):

*Wikipedia says they're energy, but based on their description it sounds like emotions. Also sometimes they are not energy but frequencies. So, it's kinda confusing. Especially because they are usually attached to keywords that make it look like the energy includes emotions.

♡ Passionate [Emotion: Strong desire] - Red

Planet: Root of Desire

Passionate, mind-numbing energy that can be gained from something instinctive or stimulating. Apparently a planet full of desires makes something red with this energy.

(See what I mean with the way every planet is feeding the others? That's interdependence. But seems so transactional that you get an eerie sensation every time you're there. Something very wrong it's going on~)

Karmic Law? Unsure. It can be growth and open mindness. Or maybe living in the present.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Innocent [Emotion: Wings of Sensitivity] - Orange

Planet: Canals of Sensitivity

Sensitive energy that you can gain by paying attention to words full of innocence and sensitivity. Once you get enough of such innocent energy, you can fly to certain canals... Would you like to find out where they are?

(Innocent energy... I'm getting Hocus Pocus vibes lol and this is not good. You guys are gonna need to read my post on Souls and Dolls because it ties.)

The Karmic Law? Compassion

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Jolly [Emotion: Best jokes ever] - yellow

This energy is as jolly as it can be! It is drawn to laughter, so you can gain it from cheerful atmosphere. It is said you can hear laughter from a certain planet given that this energy is in your possession.

The Karmic Law? Living the moment, probably.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Peaceful (green)

Peaceful energy (green) which is associated with Milky Way of Gratitude.

This energy is serene, peaceful, apparently born from heartwarming considerations and kindness. Once gratitude from every single human in the world comes together, a Milky Way is born above.

The Karmic Law? Gratitude.

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Logical [Emotion: Wall of Reason] - mint

Planet: Archive of Terran Info

(This seems to be the most popular one, considering how cold and without balance the Wizard can be in his way of making contracts.)

Karmic Law? Detachment

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Philosophical/Pensive [Emotion: Puzzles in a relationship] - Royal Blue

Planet: Bamboo Forest of Troubles

This is an elegant philosophical energy that supposedly rises from serious and mature connections. It is said that it is molecularly similar to the air molecules exclusive to bamboo forests.

(My thoughts? This and logical are tied. Somehow. Because if you get to think too much about things, you can detach yourself and get more logical about things.)

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Galatic (purple)

This energy was begotten from the furthest edge of the aurora in the universe. It is said it is born with sparkles like a shooting star once you reach a huge enlightenment regarding life, and it is yet unfathomable with human understanding.

A note: Those that travel space dwell in the dimension higher than the Terran dimension. They are from wise species that did not let their science destroy them!

Our Lab comes with a license that allows us to communicate with Creatures of the universe, all thanks to you and your fellow lab participants.

- Dr. Cus-Monsieur

(If you see one of the gifts is a golden fountain pen. Very similar to Jumin Han's. Also Dr. Cus-Monsieur notes give validity to my theory. We are being used.

Let me explain, the real Mystic Messenger is MC. A puppet. Like Beatrice, or almost every character in Nameless. And us players are simply victims being exploited lololol but at the same time, I believe we are the perpetrators. Kind of like, in Another Story in Mystic Messenger you're aware of the situation but not aware of the WHOLE situation. We're gonna get there, hang on a bit more please~)

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

♡ Rainbow

Rainbow energy - all kind of energy available

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡

Energy of the day [Energy Day]

Description: Although the Energies floating about in the air are invisible, they come with different compositions each day. Which is why one day you may be full of passion, while for the other day you may find yourself deep in philosophical reflection. We run an Energy Forecast System that let's you know what kind of energy will prevail strongly each day.

We also provide all lab participants with the strongest energy of the day for free in order to keep balance of the Energies in check.

* I thought it was our feelings but it's theirs (The Ssum characters, Teo, Henri, Harry, June. And in MM too~ and Nameless when they give us pieces to exchange later on. Is a bit different in Dandelion but not for much. The theme repeats.)

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* Apparently Energy generates Emotions? and Gifts.

** Energy is used to incubate emotions. Emotions are used to support others through the planets. (Wikipedia)

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Honestly? I stand by my own theory. But I don't think it matters much whatever these orbs of magic are called but the way they are used.

Because we can also send bunnies/pets back to the space to receive in exchange batteries. This is a bit creepy when you actually think about it. It makes it look like the whole game is a black market or smth~ idk. Also... we don't get to think about "bunnies" as something else because we only see them in bunny form~ but what if they are similar to our characters in Dandelion? After all Dandelion characters were also from other planet and landed on Heejung's room. It's just a thought of course~

When they're in the Sunshine Shelter, bunnies (and other pets) give you emotions (energy?) sometimes, in exchange for you to let them out of the Refrigerator.

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Frequencies:

Are unique to seasonal planets. Seasons typically last 30 days but it depends. Thanks Wiki TT

* Incubator sometimes produces gifts. They can be given to other players. And received gifts can be decomposed into Aurora Batteries.

** Unlocking the incubator, animals in the sunshine shelter, supporting others in the daily lab and playing inside Pi planet~ will give you more frequencies.

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Currency~

Emotions are energy. Look at Monsters Inc. & Inside Out too as reference for how the Cheritzverse works.

Characters give us emotions. Which are the currency of every game, to travel through time, space, planets and gather knowledge. Powers. Memories.

We, gather knowledge. Or maybe we lose memories. How much of every game do you remember now?

There are only 3 or 4 characters accross the games who are like this, always investigating. Always taking things.

♡ The Wizard

♡ Dr. Cus-Monsieur

♡ V - It is said and constantly talked about his many trips, now this can be taken in 2 ways, we know that he gathers a lot of knowledge on Mint Eye and Saejoong Choi. And this is obviously tied to RFA. But it's also said he's an evil mastermind. And that we should not trust him. He was the one that gave Elizabeth the 3rd to Jumin, as a gift from Rika. He was the one that named~ Elizabeth the 3rd.

At least 4 people inside the game tell us not to trust V:

♡ Yoosung (who ironically was right since the beginning about several  things~ including Rika's death.)

♡ Saeyoung (after finding what happened to his brother)

♡ Rika

♡ Saeran itself who is victim of everything that has happened. Victim and perpetrator.

At some point not even Jumin trusted V with MC safety. Doesn't that already rings bell alarms to y'all? And if it's getting weirder, It was V the one that unleashed the gas over the whole RFA. Including his most precious friend. A drug that btw~ it can and has killed people.

His birthday flower means Memories. And yes, Cheritz knows!!! Because they chose the pineapple for Harry and it's the tattoo he chose. I'll stop myself for now cause he's getting his post. But, it's for you to consider.

♡ MC (We as players and she as MC/puppet can alter time and travel through~)

*Note: Because we cannot be entirely sure, I'm gonna set in this post my doubts aside and say that Nameless/Unknown are different from the Angel. Why? It is confirmed by The Angel that he knows we travel through time & space and that we are basically "cheating" on the characters. so it might or not be aware of our status as spies. Another thing is that it is heavily implied The Angel does have a bit of a story with MC.

Talking from Unknown/Nameless, it's not entirely clear if they know of the time/space thing but it is clear they know about the "games"

Also, Zen has a bit of a story too, but it seems more grounded to reality and only able to travel through dreams. Unlike the others, the only time we see him knowing specifically about this "time/space" is in Epiphany.

So we could say the Wizard is the Angel? I seriously don't have things clear right now, but the more I play, the more information comes up. So I'll keep this updated.

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The Grinder~

Then there's a "grinder" so if we don't have enough emotions, then we can exchange batteries x emotions.

Emotions = Energy

Memories = Knowledge

Which makes me remember another thing~ emotions work as a payment for some images through The Ssum (See what I mean about memories and knowledge?) I can forget about this because I'm paying for the Aurora package so I don't have to worry about it but I don't think other people can do the same.

Now everything takes a different turn especially considering Epiphany (Zen, April Fool's DLC) and the whole idea that he's trapped inside the game~ it would make everything more powerful and shocking if he's trying to help us.

Another Note here: Honestly? I feel like Mewry planet it's similar to the grinder for batteries to turn into emotions. Battery helps you to achieve more memories in case you miss a chatroom. But in exchange you give your emotions? Through Mewry of course! And by giving your emotions you also give your wishes, to Crotune.

Crotune, if I'm following the idea here~ will take your memories away according to the way the contracts work, especially when we talk about the Wizard.

This? This is basically the way the wishes, the energy and the emotions work altogether. Now we have to understand how the other planets affect each other and what they supply too.

Ah because, there's a "Bored Dealer" wandering through. It always makes you to take an unfair deal. Don't forget the Karmic Law of Cause/Effect.

And because everything & everyone is connected (Law of interconnection and interdependence)~ the way we have to pay in Mystic Messenger is pretty similar.

Quoting myself: Characters give us emotions. Which are the currency of every game, to travel through time, space, planets and gather knowledge. Powers. Memories.

Those hourglasses? Most of them come from the exchange of the characters hearts (emotions) they give to you, as a way to pay for more chatrooms. More knowledge. To unlock memories or images. Calls. In Nameless? They give you fragments of a heart~

See the detachment here? It's kind of terrifying when you realize we're becoming like The Wizard. Playing games over and over. And suddenly the cruel answers started to make more sense. At some point we stop caring and we see the games as games when in reality, they're more~

What if the Wizard is another player? What if it's related to The Angel? (1004)

*Fun fact: Dandelion has a section very similar to this. But because I don't have enough space, I needed to put the image on the second post of Beyond the Planets.

And because of all this is now sort of cleared and we have a general idea of how the planets, the emotions and the energy work, now we need to tie it all together!

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The [Empty] Space is The Ssum of All

AKA. How the Cheritzverse works.

This is my own theory and way to arrange it all and it might change because I still need to finish Dandelion and watch what other people say about the Cheritzverse but for what I’ve been catching here and there, here’s what I think even if you don’t fully agree with me. So let’s start with the phrase of this title:

The empty space is the sum of all.

Something that @cherrychipheart kept mentioning all the time and that caused me to go through this it’s the “tiles”, or the “chess board” because it’s I believe it's not it’s not something that can be actually explained by itself. But when you put it together with other pieces it turns out that it makes sense?

You’ll see, when players enter The Ssum planets, they enter in middle of darkness or in middle of white spaces, it took me a while to process that these spaces are not really random but hold a lot of meaning to it. But I’m not gonna talk about it here in depth, if you wanna know more about each meaning please go to the planets section. You can also see these “tiles” in Mystic Messenger throughout each V.N. and chat rooms, and on Nameless, and Dandelion. So it’s not just The Ssum, and if we’re to talk about it, it’s not just some places. It’s with us, every time.

Anyways, both, blank and white canvas are difficult to screenshot and say “hey it’s part of the game!” but for those who are inside the game know that it’s part of the game.

Fun fact: V loves puzzles with blank canvas. Do you guys still think he’s not the wizard?

Now, considering the following notes in The Ssum (thank you @thessumbluebirdnotes ), along with the confirmation I received from @cherrychipheart (thank you too btw!! you’re a sweetheart.) that this does happens in Dandelion too, time travel is real in the Cheritzverse.

We can gather some things:

♡ The Time Machine is real [Notes on The Ssum, 28, 29, 30 & 31.]

♡ Time travel can create distortions. Data being lost. (Memories?)

♡ The [Empty] Space is The Ssum of All (I'll explain it later on~ first some concepts)

♡ In The Ssum, some planets allow you to see some kind of travel through stars, or space. Like they do in Star Trek. So, it's worth of notice, you might be actually traveling inside the Spaceship. (see gif for reference. I wish I could have taken a picture of this but at the time, I thought it was useless to prove anything, because it does not even have the mark on it. Like, there's no "created by Cheritz~" or anything. This is something you only know if you play The Ssum. But then several pictures started to drop during these weeks while playing The Ssum.)

♡ The Angel knows of this time travel and space travel. The Wizard knows. MC knows. Moreover, The Angel and The Wizard seem to be aware MC is just a puppet for the Player, means us.

Now let’s go into each topic.

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The Spaceship

*The spaceship does not always move forward... It orbits around :D

Ahh do you guys remember this? 😉

Some planets give you DARKNESS.

OTHERS give you LIGHT.

When you enter to them, but you cannot screenshot them unless the game bugs out. It's very fast. And now I think this could be a way to link it to what @cherrychipheart was thinking about for a lot longer than me so the credit goes to her here♡

That it's what they are: frequencies for you to travel. Even better? I found 707 was contacted by aliens. Yes, it's canon. And it's also canon that they decided to not go further. (I need to find the picture that confirms it because as always, when I saw it the first time, I didn’t pay attention or thought it had any kind of importance, but it is confirmed!)

Moreover… I mean, this is all me, but, I don’t think it’s that difficult to put two and two together:

They seem to communicate in binary.

That’s why he keeps finding information on them. And that’s also part of why the tiles have to be black and white. This brings me to the idea that this could not be an actual set of “tiles” but the keywords or binary codes for you to enter inside the spaceship, like~ if they are dark, they belong to a different dimension. And light would mean you can travel through time but not neccesarily through space. Or something like that. Maybe travel through ley lines?

To set an example, it’s clear that, for some reason, Harry and Teo are in an almost touching with us kind of reality, but at the same time, they are touching Mystic Messenger world, people like them and Zen might be in this In Between. Remember the Liminal Spaces I talked so much? Well, if you want to understand this better, The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock (2006) is a perfect example of how this would play.

People like Seven, June, Henri, Saeran, who are somewhat aware but perhaps not fully, they might be in The Otherworld, to put this in a way, a world that it’s similar to ours, but it’s not. That can be explained with movies like Stranger than Fiction (2006), W: Two Worlds (K-Drama), and Inkheart (2008) for example. That would also explain why some of the RFA guests are weird. Which, brings me to Dandelion, Grimm and Nameless… these, are in a totally different plane. To give a visual aid:

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Dandelion. The Ssum. Mystic Messenger.

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(Epiphany) Zen. Teo. Harry. Sometimes Mystic Messenger characters such as Jaehee, Seven. Elizabeth the 3rd.

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MC. The Wizard. The Angel.

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Our world: Players

*might not be accurate

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Ley lines as Liminal Spaces.

Ley lines are believed to be invisible energy paths that crisscross the Earth. They connect sacred sites, natural landmarks and ancient monuments. Most of the time are associated with paranormal phenomena and fae folk. Associated with cosmic energy or as pathways of communication to other dimensions.

Many people believe the intersection of ley lines can create particularly powerful liminal spaces (this has its own post) or portals/gateways as their nature is based on pure energy.

Also a lot of people believe this is the way fairies travel, because it allows them to do it so through time and space/dimensions. And in some novels, the fairies are not the only ones. Demons, witches/wizards and elves can do it too. There's also another creature who can do it too by the way, and it's The Unicorn.

And here is the thing, I'll touch it lightly here and more in depth in its own post, but The Unicorn it's a Liminal Creature.

So maybe along those lines~ MC is travelling. The method she uses remains a mystery but we are pretty much sure that Zen did called us fairies several times and fairies can use ley lines to travel. I'm rambling again but, it's not the only method. Actually... it might be a combination of methods(?)

However it’s a bit more complicated than that...

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The [Empty] Space

It seems fitting to say after all these posts that the doll room, the dandelion room. Eri's place when we first encounter in the game. The ocean and the carousel, all of them are liminal spaces. And a liminal space we know now, it's a bridge.

Most of the time it's empty because the purpose is not yet or has already been accomplished. And because of that they can be labeled as blank. Empty. There's a lot of them right? But what if I told you that the Empty Space is what holds everything together? I mean, it’s a bridge after all...

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Blackholes and Wormholes

One, two… ah two more topics before we finish, yes, because I need to explain where the idea of The [Empty] Space is The Ssum of All came from. So for this we need to add a concept to the mix too~

Let’s talk about Einstein-Rosen Bridges (also known as wormholes) which are nothing but theory, not yet proven but, it’s made from renowned names so it might add a bit of credibility to all this lol let’s start for the easy part, since they are bridges, you can consider them liminal spaces too. But since the characters inside the Cheritzverse are really obsessed with the universe and the stars, nothing works better than bringing a bit of astrophysics to the topic~ but first the disclaimer lol

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on astrophysics lolol what it’s said here are only theories based on my poor knowledge so please keep in mind this only works because it’s fantasy and I’m gonna use Tolup energy and infinite potential to make sure it fits lololol jokes aside, I’m fully aware that wormholes have not yet been confirmed, as well as the risks to involve in astrophysics cause the level it’s not as simple as I’m gonna display it here so this explanation it has its limitations that might not even apply to black holes or wormholes, however, for the sake of this post, let’s continue, and don’t kill me cause this is gonna be a butchery lol because I know my limitations, I accept any corrections you offer BTW

"White puzzles... where did I leave it?" V, according to the random thoughts the spaceship caught upon.

It was @smol-grey-tea who pointed out how obsessed the characters inside the Cheritzverse are with the Universe. There are references to the stars, the sky, the clouds, the planets~

@smol-grey-tea (Thank you so much!!) says that Eri (Nameless) prays to the stars, while we saw during Another story and our beautiful @sapphireicecream made sure to draw the connection between the clouds, the sun, the stars and the moon that was already pointed out inside Mystic Messenger~ so when Rika, V's mom, and V itself talk about

The Sun is the Mother of All.

Does it sound similar with the title? It was totally on purpose but I'm still half-way :)

The Sun creates life, yet a black hole is essentially everything the Sun is not. A black hole is, but a star collapsing upon itself. A black hole is without spaces. Everything is compressed so tightly not even light can escape. And, our sun is dying, maybe not tomorrow but it’s not gonna live forever. So, while our Sun won’t become a black hole because it’s not heavy enough (it would need to be at least 20 times more massive according to NASA) you already have an idea on your mind, one of the biggest theories and discussions of the XX century and even of our current XXI century, is The Big Bang theory which emerged around 1920. Apparently Einstein initially was opposed to the idea. It was George Lemaitre who was named father of the Big Bang.

However to this day, it remains as a theory and nothing but such. Why? Because it requires of the existence of dark matter, which despite of many and huge experiments to find them, has never been observed in the laboratory. This in any case does not and should not interrupt our train of thoughts, because one thing that it is clear as water, is, if you allow me to give y’all a leap from astrophysics to the physic realm, that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed one form to another (Laws of energy) And in our current world we can see how death creates life. How bacteria being as the single smallest part of life-single celled organisms can and will feed on us, dead or alive. And while we’re at it, something else happens, fungi protect bacteria from toxic molecules in exchange for food and shelter.

Fungi, bacteria, and protists use asexual reproduction methods to reproduce and ensure the continuity of their species. The methods include binary fission, budding, and spores.

And how does this relates to the Sun, the stars, supernovas and black holes? Well, As above, so below. It is very curious how many people talk about The Kybalion and Hermetic philosophy yet no one ever repairs to mention that such things were not new but taken from Buddhism along other concepts that have never been fully translated but always thwarted for their own benefit. Always doubt translations and books that pretend to sell you things as new, please. It’s not that it is bad, but it’s worse if you do not take your studies seriously. Anyways, many of the Kybalion/hermetic principles have already been discussed here in this blog under the category of karmic laws. I will not discourage but quite the contrary, encourage you to read The Kybalion too, I merely want y’all to remember that several other societies have already been there too.

As my mom tends to say lately, don’t be so entitled to think you and only you know about it. ¯\(°_°)/¯

Anyways, back to the topic, since one of the principles of the Kybalion talks about how everything is mobile. Nothing is static. Even the spirit, matter, the mind, are nothing but the result of different vibration states. Even when it seems that it does not moves, in fact, it does. Vibration of spirit is set in an infinite intensity. So high it might seem that it does not moves, in the other extreme, matter with a weak vibration, so it seems to be without movement. For Tao the concept would be called qi, prana in hinduism.

Some of these, might seem as fixed points, like a hub of a Ferris wheel, that are best if we leave them undisturbed, however in a paradox of our cosmic cycle, just as death creates life, and a black hole usually is considered as a symbol of destruction, that is very much necessary for transformation, so as the end of one’s existence, can be the beginning of another. There are other ways, that diverge from the traditional paths.

And that is where we go back to relativity.

Naming it as “vibrations” and establishing those as movement. And frequencies as velocity of such movement. In this universe, emotions are used as a currency of exchange to transform temporary realities from the Planets. Emotions are pure energy.

Motion = Movement

We previously said the power of a name was too strong to be ignored, because it changed and altered your persona, or could even chain you, and bound you for life. What we never delved into was the power of words. It’s often said that words are powerful weapons yet we never understand the extend of it. Words create mental images, mental images can and often will act as liminal spaces, through which they create a concept, to chain, to bound, change, and even destroy oneself.

There’s a saying that goes:

“You cannot talk about what it does not have a name attached to it. What has no name, does not exist. Things, only exist until they are named.”

Yes, with that I can easily tie it to Nameless. But also, to wishes. Since by definition, a wish has words attached to it. And…

A wish is the definition of a purpose. To set one. In which case emotions are the origin, the process and the result. To set a purpose you need to define the emptiness that you want to fill. Where emotions are involved that might constitute emotional black holes, blank spaces, or empty rooms, bridges and all matter.

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The Cheritzverse: The place where wishes are brought to you and the relativity is set as default

We need to accept the intangibility of some things, specifically when we talk about the game. It requires a leap of faith or… suspension of disbelief if you must. Things that have been somewhat forgotten but that inside the Cheritzverse are important to make things work, so because inside The Cheritzverse, Einstein theories are alive and active. Things as relativity theory. Black holes, wormholes, and even the time works different here. Time would probably work as a 4th dimension and travel speed distance is reduced to zero when such velocity tends to the infinite. Of course that is only possible in a universe where the quantic number is set as a variable that allows you to be in two places at the same time, which is precisely what ley lines allow you to. Since ley lines are also pure energy.

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The Reason Behind Lost Memories.

Losing memories is due to the process of traveling, because the realities are constantly changing, the only reality is right now. Since our perception changes, constantly. We need to cleanse our souls (Min Eye, Momint, Nameless) to properly transform future realities, since we also need to use our emotions as currency, even if we don’t travel through time or space.

And since realities are relative, magic it’s a possibility that threatens to destroy our reasoning: Momint (Planet)

In that sense, we as players, might be able to travel to their world, if we, like Dr Cus, (whom apparently was kidnapped, according to Henri’s Route, Day 23, Bedtime.) or Seven, come up with a machine, or find the right portal (through an Einstein-Rosen bridge for example, or a ley line.) something that allows us to crisscross realities, and go from their reality being a game in ours, to an actual reality.

The Ssum, Mystic Messenger, Nameless, Dandelion, all of them, work as games for us only because of our perspective as innocent players. However, the more you delve into the theories and find the connections, the more you find what your role is about: A gamer, a mystic messenger spying between worlds, betraying the love of your life without knowing, because someone set you up to this game.

And that's how, The Sum of all The Empty Spaces equals to a black hole.

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The Cheritzverse Society

Grimm Society & probably several planets from The Ssum.

Now let's explain the last thing: The Society

A capitalistic society that runs on fear and preys on the weak to create emotions and wishes the Wizards and other magicians can use as fuel.

We don’t know the extent of how ruthless it can be but considering Dandelion and its flashbacks, we know that it might be similar to City of Free Men, which locates inside Freedom Planet, we know there’s a society, but we don’t know if this is a town, a city or a village, although for what they let us know, they do have cameras. And a royal family. If we try to think through it it would set them in 1800’s or 1900’s timewise speaking. Considering the several references that are to the fairytales, the Wizards, and even the mention of Grimm, we can set it in a place similar to England or Scotland. Although Europe works for wide range, considering the Grimm Brothers used to travel a lot throughout Europe to write the stories they were told from others, town to town.

♡ At some point it occurred to me, that these people might be asking constantly to The Wizards for stuff, and to make it run smoothly (see Momint as Planet) they set the Unicorn as a victim. However it’s not the only victim here (see pets, see Dandelion) so because the society runs on fear and preys on the weak to create emotions and wishes, I believe the system they designed was such to feed on it. Literally. They feed on Desperate Wishes.

♡ Sorcerers from Grimm and the Wizard are the only ones able to use Magic. Credit goes to @smol-grey-tea

♡ MC is a witch and a spy. Because she’s able to travel (the player “buys” [through] time at will, so things like “Reset Theory”; hourglasses, it’s needed to proceed. And even the bird in The Ssum says it so: “You cannot disturb time when ______ is present.” so you have an MC being the puppet (see Nameless) and a messenger. A mystic messenger. That travels through time and space and dimensions to give emotions to others in power.

♡ The unicorn that is being exploited, creating drugs is just one of the many works the poor unicorn is forced to do. And so are the bunnies (see Dandelion) and the rest of the pets.

♡ A Wizard feeding from Desperate Wishes. Wether it’s him or it’s his magic, that’s something we shall set for another post, or maybe someone else wants to take it from here?

♡ Crotune is the planet to make “Desperate Wishes”

♡ The whole system in The Ssum is based on a Bird (PIUPIU) and a Unicorn, feeding and releasing emotions to the Planets. Through us, players.

So, a little pause… can I talk about Monsters Inc here? Cause I think it can be a perfect example on how to use Emotions as fuel to create a Society.

While Monsters Inc base is “fear” and lately in its story changes to “happiness”; if my theory is correct, The Cheritzverse uses every emotion to fuel itself through the Grinder. The Grinder would represent the only thing that can actually [[process]] everything and transform it into whatever they feel like. That’s why I believe the Grinder would represent “yearn”

1 : to 10 emotions

Now we have our coin inside The Ssum. Our coin in Mystic Messenger seems to follow a similar pattern.

100 hearts : 1 hourglass

Does the conversion changes because of the time/space? Who knows?

But the Unicorn is a slave, PIU-PIU feeds on it, and we are the messenger between planets and dimensions.

Yes. This is not exactly a light topic. Cheritz is not new when it talks about being exploited. See Jaehee, Saeran and Saeyoung. I'm guessing this was done in a subtle manner but also not... since the payment/subscription method is also something many players complained about lol

Is Mint Eye related to this? Much possible since the first idea was ~ to create a paradise for the weak to survive.

The Sun is the mother of us all. But the Sun burns everything too. Rika tried to tell us that. And I’m not saying that she’s right and we need to drug people or brainwash them either. Please LOL she was sick. V made sure of it (?)

This would also explain why some guests are really weird. They're not from this planet, some might belong to a different timeline, dimension or straight up another planet. But one thing that they all have in common it's that they were in the RFA and that Mint Eye wanted the guest list. Is this a coincidence? I don't think so.

But to each their own. Here I drop my pen. From now on there's no more theories, only information to add, and analysis to make. Feel free to do as you please with all this. Thanks.

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Final Notes:

I call this my most cursed post so far~

See~ I created this several weeks ago but my internet and tumblr decided to play it on me several times so I ended up losing this post like five times as a draft before being able to post it in private and work with it from there so the original date it's today~ as in the reblogging date working as original posted date lol

Like, I have been trying for at least one month (Originally posted on September 20 in private after Tumblr decided to eliminate it completely from my drafts for the 5th? 7th? time in a row.

I have struggled with it a LOT: from power outages, scorpion attacks, my migraines~ my eyes, my keyboard not working, my pc not working, my phone not working. Somehow my phone decided to torture me while I was writing this but never outside of Tumblr~ it gives you something to think because my phone right now? it's working perfectly fine lol and... anyways~ lots of other stuff happening around. Even my brother moved out during this last weekend *sighs* and I already miss him. With so many things happening to me I seriously thought I had the AO3 curse lolololol

I am so glad to finally finish it I can't even express how much. I dedicated a lot of time to this one. Though I tried my best to avoid grammar errors and mistypes I'm sure there must be a couple. I'll go back to it when I'm fresh and well-rested. Hope at least my theory it's useful in some way. I don't think I want to do this anytime soon again lol

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

Credits to:

@thessumbluebirdnotes

@cherrychipheart

@smol-grey-tea

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

Links:

♡ Blue Bird Notes on Dr Cus Monsieur

♡ The Ssum Wiki

♡ The Angel Knows~

[puppy-coded]

Too Smart {G.E.}

✰ 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Reader gets called dumb, Reader feels betrayed, slight angst??? Use of the nickname "pretty girl" because it makes me happy

✰ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Gareth Emerson x fem!cute!reader

✰ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 837 words

✰ 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Gareth comforts you when someone tells you that you aren't smart enough to do what you want to do.

✰ 𝐀/𝐍: To the anon who said they needed more of this, ily. Tagging @ur-local-geek-fest bc she endorses my decisions and I showed her the collage so...

You were in a terrible mood after your last class and just wanted to complain to your boyfriend. You saw him by your locker and stomped over to him, steaming.

"Gareth, I need to talk to you about class." You told him, the anger still evident in your voice no matter how much your told yourself to calm down.

His face morphed into a softer expression when he saw you and heard how heated you were about... whatever had happened. "What is it angel?" He asked, trying to grab your hands.

You put your books in your locker and crossed your arms, looking upset more than anything. "You know Matthew Thompson?"

Gareth looked confused for a moment before answering. "The short one in band?"

You shook your head at his response. "No, no. The tall one on the football team. With the mullet and the freckles?"

Gareth's soft expression hardened at the mentio of that Matthew Thompson, he's a- Not Gareth's favorite person. "Oh... Him. What about him?"

You sniffed a little before starting your story. "We were in chemistry and we had a substitute right?"

"Right," Gareth nodded.

"She asked me what I wanted to do when I left high school and I said that I wanted to be a NASA scientist," You said.

"Lifelong dream, sure." He shrugged, not catching on yet.

You shook your head and ran your tongue over your teeth in annoyance before continuing. "And Matthew Thompson asked if I was sure I didn't want to be a housewife."

"Why would he ask that?" Gareth asked you incredulously.

You took a deep breath and swiped a finger under your eye, trying not to ruin your mascara with a tear. "I asked the same thing and he said 'Because it doesn't require intelligence to be a housewife. And you can wear as much pink as you want as long as your husband doesn't mind dating a literal child.' And you wanna know the worst part?"

"Obviously."

"Chrissy Cunningham laughed at his joke!" You exclaimed." She's one of my best friends, why would she laugh at something so hurtful?" You asked him, tears finally falling.

Gareth wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer to him. "You know what? They're just jealous because they don't have a 4.0 GPA."

You pushed away from him sadly and shrugged. "I don't know. I think I just want you to drive me home."

"How about this, what about we go to the mall?" He asked, trying to cheer you up.

"Didn't it burn down last year?"

Gareth's eye's widened before going back to normal. "New plan-"

You put your hand up to get him to stop. "No thanks. I'm good."

"Oh, okay." He nodded, leading you to his car.

The entire ride to your house was silent except for the radio softly playing today's greatest hits. It broke your boyfriend's heart to hear you crying in the seat next to him so he put a hand on your leg and patted it.

"We're home," He whispered.

You got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side. "Thanks. And I'm sorry for being like this today." You apologized, looking down at your shoes.

"Don't worry about it. Pick you up tomorrow?" He asked, practically hanging out of the window.

"Yes please." You whispered, not noticing he had wanted his usual goodbye kiss as you walked away.

He frowned before a newer plan popped into his head.

. . .

It was 6 in the evening and you were home alone in your pajamas. You jumped when you heard the doorbell ring and groaned before opening the door to see your boyfriend standing there with a plastic bag from family video in his hand.

You crossed your arms and leaned against the door frame. "Gareth, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at band practice?" You asked with a slightly annoyed huff.

He held up the bag with a wide smile. "Not when my pretty girl's upset! I got Snickers-" He began listing.

You pushed yourself off the door frame and gestured for him to walk into your home. "Come in."

"Wow it does not take much to convince you," He chuckled.

You closed the door behind him and turned on the television in the living room. "It's because I know you have Snow White with you."

Gareth followed you to fiddle with the VCR before popping in the tape. "It's because it's your favorite movie."

You sighed and sat down on the couch. "I just want what she has," You said dreamily. "And I do. My own personal Prince Charming," You cooed.

Gareth grabbed the bag with the snacks and plopped down next to you. "Aww. See? Already feeling better."

"Oh quit." You said, playfully slapping his chest. "Just turn on the movie before I change my mind."

[dragon-kazansky]

Dangerous | Helmut Zemo

AU! Race car driver Zemo 😎

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Masterlist]

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 12

It was always when it mattered the most that trains decided to run slower than usual. This was the only way for you get to him, but trains had been delayed. You were full of nervous energy and didn't know what else to do other than shift around awkwardly.

You clutched your phone in your hand as you waited on the platform. You hadn't heard from Zemo after his last text. That had been yesterday. This was the earliest you could leave, a whole day later.

You just needed to be with him. You needed to hold him, kiss him. You needed him.

You missed him.

You had just been overwhelmed. How were you suppose to react when information like that pops up? You suppose it could have gone a lot worse.

You'll make it up to him. You promised.

The sound you wanted to hear appears. You smile as you look up. The train was approaching the station.

You: I'm coming. Wait for me.

Zemo was sitting in the hanger. What was left of his car was sitting in front of him. He stared at it. Sam and Bucky were doing thorough checks. They needed to find out what went wrong. They had checked the car multiple times before the race, but it obviously wasn't enough. Something had happened.

His phone pings in his pocket. He pulls it pit and smiles at your message.

Zemo: I'm waiting

He keeps his phone in his lap as he looks back up at the car again. He felt very lucky to be sitting there. Even luckier once you get here.

"How could someone tamper with the car? We were with it right up until Zemo took it to the line," Sam said, standing over the charred mess.

Bucky had been deep inside the car, noting every little detail he could see.

"Obviously we missed something. Do you remembering exactly what you were doing up until that point?" Bucky looked up at him.

"We got there, I did the usual checks after Zemo left our side. I waited with the car until Sarah came. You showed up not longer after. All three of us were standing with the car. No one else cane over to our side. Zemo came out, he sat down, I went to get something to drink, leaving you with it." Sam thought hard about his movements.

"Yeah, Sarah and I talked, but the car was always in view. Zemo didn't move from that chair at all."

"Yeah, non of you had moved when I came back."

Zemo leans forward in his chair.

"The only time we are not with the car is at night," he looks at them both. "The hanger isn't exactly hard to get into. We can't lock the door, remember."

The huge hanger door was never locked. It was broken, but very few people knew that Zemo used this as his workshop.

"But, we did the checks."

"Unless it was something slight. Something we wouldn't notice until too late. Pietro did his checks that day. I very much doubt he would have taken the risk if he was aware something was wrong with his car."

Sam and Bucky look at each other.

"Are you suggesting Stark did something?"

"By extension."

"By extension?" James furrowed his brow.

"Any idea what that woman was doing beforehand? Did you see her at the race?"

"Yeah, draping herself all over Stark, why?"

"Are you aware that he and Miss Potts are together?" Zemo asks, lips curled into a slight smile.

"Well, I knew she liked him. Though I have no idea why," Sam said.

"They're lovers."

"How do you know?"

Zemo smirks.

"I went to Stark's house that night Y/N left. Miss Potts was there."

"You never mentioned that before." Bucky eyed him suspiciously.

"He didn't want me to know. However, her perfume caught my attention, and the shoes by the door most definitely did not belong to the wicked woman. The lipstick on Stark's chin, which I'm sure he didn't realise, was the same shade I had seen Pepper Potts wear. Behind closed doors he indulges in his true desires. For the cameras, he has a publicity relationship."

"So, you're a detective now?"

Zemo grinned, opening his hand a bit as he shrugged.

"I just have a keen eye sometimes."

"You scare me." Sam pointed a finger at him.

Zemo chuckled and stood up.

"I would say it's a safe bet that Stark had that woman do something for him. Perhaps under blackmail or just with his persuasion, after all, I am the bad guy in his eyes. Ruin my career, ruin my life, ruin everything I hold dear. He wanted me out of the picture."

"He really went to a lot of trouble."

"He did."

His phone pinged again. He picks it up and smiles again.

You: I'm on the train. I miss you.

He types quickly.

Zemo: I miss you too. I'll be there when you arrive.

He puts his phone away and stands up. He walks over to where Sam and Bucky are standing and sighs.

"Take one more look. I don't think it's going to matter either way. I have nothing to pin on Stark, whether we know it's his fault or not. I have a date to prepare for." He smiles.

The boys look at him, realising what he was implying. Sam grins and Bucky just looks relieved.

Zemo leaves them with the car.

His first stop is to go home, change into something more suitable, and then pick a car to come pick you up in. Things are going to turn out OK. This time, he is sure of it.

There is still plenty of time before your train gets in. He heads up and takes a shower. He smiles to himself the entire time. You'll be here with again soon.

He has no intention of letting you go this time.

He dresses smart for you. Purple shirt, neatly pressed trousers, shiny shoes that probably cost the same as some of his cars. Not forgetting his fur collared coat.

He looks at himself in the mirror. Another smile. A cheeky one.

He heads out.

He walks with his head held high, a slight spring in his step, as he heads to the garage. He knows which car he wants to drive. He is going to pick you up in style.

A purple convertible. Just his style.

He arrives at the station with minutes to spare. He climbs out of the car and heads onto the station. He wants to be there when get off the train.

The train is right on time.

His heart is beating rapidly. You're nearly here.

The train comes to a stop. The doors open. People flood out. He stand and he waits, eyes scanning the crowds. Then, nothing else matters. You're there. You step off the train, you turn, and you smile.

His arms are open. You run past everyone else and leap into his embrace. He is quick to cradle you to him, burying his nose in the crook of your neck and just feeling you against him. You're crying. He's crying!

You're here.

He's alive.

Everything feels right again. You pull back and waste no time. You kiss him. He holds you close and kisses you back, just as fiercely.

You stop, placing your hands on either side of his face and look at him.

"I was so scared."

He smiles softly at you.

"As was I."

"I thought...I thought you were dead."

"I'm here. I'm alive."

You feel him under your hands. He's warm. You caress his cheek with your thumb softly.

"I'm staying," you tell him.

"Good. I'm not letting you go."

You kiss him again. The platform had cleared since, but the pair of you didn't care. You just wanted to be there with him for as long as you could.

Eventually though, you pulled away.

"Take me home?"

"Home?"

"Your home. I want to spend time with you. I have a lot to make up for."

Zemo smiles and takes your hand, both of you leaving the station together. You lean into him, needing to be close to him.

There was so much to talk about.

You can't help the laugh the tumbles out when you see the car. It's so very him. You look at him, laughing yourself silly. He laughs too, in love with the sound of yours.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just... this car is perfect for you."

He grins as he walks around to your side of the car, holding the door open for you. You smile and walks over, climbing in. He closes the door and leans down. He kisses you through the open window.

You would love to sit there a day doing that, but there are things that need to be done. You chuckle as he pulls away and walks around, getting into his side. He steals one more kiss before he drives.

Your hand finds comfort in his. You needed reassurance this wasn't some wild dream. He holds your hand securely, seemingly needing the same reassurance.

You have to ask him things now, you needed to know.

"Tell me what happened."

He glances at you.

"My car malfunctioned. I could not make it around the bend. It was a full on collision, but unlike six years ago, I surveyed the crash. Having trained myself for the worst when it comes to racing Stark, I have practised over and over again on getting out of that car. It took me just a moment to get out. The second I was, an ambulance arrived on the scene and they pushed me into the back to look me over. I was completely fine."

You look at him, eyes big and sad, heart hammering away.

"I should have been there."

"No! You did the right thing not coming."

"You must have hated me when you saw I wasn't there," your voice wavered.

"No. I could never hate you. I can only love you until the day I die," he grins at you.

"Helmut."

He smiles the brightest smile you have ever seen on his face. He loves it when you say his name.

"There are things I want to ask when we get to the house."

"Alright. I think it's time we sort out what we're going to do."

He keeps a hold of your hand the entire trip to his house. He opens the door for you, helps you out, and then wraps his arm around you as he leads you to the door. He unlocks it with ease and pushes the door open. You both step inside.

Coats are removed, door is locked again, tea is brewing. Only then do you both sit down, tea cups in hand, and talk.

"I want to stay, Helmut."

"Please do."

"You'll let me move in with you just like that?" You ask, chuckling softly.

"Yes. If I have to go another day without you, I will lose my mind, quite literally."

You chuckle.

"I was so stupid not to believe you."

"You were scared, my love. I can't blame you. For a moment, you thought someone had died by my hand. You had every reason to run off like that."

"I heard you at my door that night."

"I know. I heard you on the other side," he smiles softly. "I knew you were listening. That's all I could have asked for in the end."

"Still, I feel horrible. I should have come to the race."

"No. That incident would have happened regardless. It was much better you were not there to see it in person."

You put your tea down and shuffled closer to him. He put his cup down so he could embrace you as you leaned against him. He kissed the top of your head and held you to his chest.

"I'm never leaving again. You're stuck with me now. I, uh, may have also done some research."

"Regarding what?"

"Being a manager. If you'll still have me."

He grins.

"Of course I'll still have you."

You look up at him, once again smiling like an idiot. He kisses your forehead softly. The pair of you sit there, clinging to one another.

When evening rolls in, you have both caught up with one another, discussed your role as his manager, and he told you about his car. It was only after that he told you about what he thought had happened.

"You think Tony had her mess with your car?"

"I do. I have no proof, but that's all I have."

You sigh softly.

"So, what's the plan from here?"

"We get me a new car. I'll improve it to the best of my abilities and I'll race in that final."

"You're still going to race this season?" You look up at him, eyes soft, but still full of concern.

"Yes. There's only one more to go, and I now have you back. Let's see this through to the end," he grins.

"Let's show Tony Stark what happens when you mess with us."

Zemo chuckled and pulled you in for another kiss.

One more race of the season. Zemo was determined to come out on top. This was going to the race that mattered the most.

@ajeff855 @moonstuffsteve @sky-writes-stuff @lieutenantn @lostghostgirl94 @friday18eo @yaskna @my-blood-is-maple-syrup @gingerwriter97 @lunamooney2406 @wilder-fangirl @nectav @whovianayesha @thesuitkovian @cathrin2405 @deathtothepatriarchy @belle82devart @dxrksxul06 @killeromanoff @alex-the-nb @latenightartist-author @hb8301 @goddessofmischief03 @xxidontwikeitxx @themeanestlittlewitch @scuttle-buttle @fillechatoyante @lucky-luck-lucky @zemosimp420 @avengersofmischief @stardancerluv @breadsquash @the-chaotic-cow @wandalorian @pinkcutiepiee @awesomesauce-abbie @zemo-is-my-muse

[memphisfaith]

Hearts of Lust: Chapter 9

Pairing Kim Namjoon X Reader

Genre: Collage!AU, Smut

Word Count: 1.7K

Warning: Cursing, mentions of smut, smut, consumption of alcohol, mentions of violence, violence, crack personality disorders, Chaotic energy.

Summary: College is any young adult's prime years, at least that's what Lee (y/n) and Kim Namjoon thought. The two are infamous for two reasons, by two very different crowds. Among the professors they are picture perfect students with perfect scores, attendance, and image. However, among the student body they're the very essence of lust with amazing bodies, sex appeal, and skill. The two, although strikingly similar, butt heads quite a bit with competitions of everything from grades to who can get a person to drop their pants the fastest. With the two of them ready to conquer the school year it's all a matter of Go Big or Go Home.

Looking down at the paper in my hands I couldn't decide what project I would want to do. RM and I decided he would gather the data and write the paper while I make a presentation, power point, and 3-D model. 

We are only required to do one of three, but we chose to do all three to get the maximum effect. We agreed that I would suit the more creative part of the project while he suits the more persuasive part. 

Even though I would be making the powerpoint and the smaller aspects of the presentation, RM will be doing the majority of the presenting. Namjoon is by far one of the most well spoken people I know. It irritates me how good he is.

But as of right now he is my ally not my enemy. I let out a huff as I scan the paper yet again, They all seem so...dull. RM told me to choose the project since I'm the one who has to make the display, He said and I quote ‘you're the one that has to make it look pretty’. 

This man-child has an IQ bigger than mine but is still some how way more stupid. Maybe he just lacks common sense, that could definitely be the case. I place the paper down and move over to my canvas, a newer project I've started. 

It's one of the three part series I need to enter in the contest for nationals. On the canvas so far, I've only managed to start the calm sea. My three part series is something that I can't explain in words, but the feeling I get when I think about what I should add or how it should look causes a deep stir in my chest...in my heart.

The sea I've started is so calm, pretty deep-sea hues, contrasts, and highlights decorate the bottom half of the canvas. The small waves I've created clashes into one another in a smooth fashion. The sky in the background is a plain blue, which has yet to be valued. I haven't added the ship that will appear to be sailing so blissfully or the inevitable storm that will appear deep in the back of the painting. 

I mix some deep blue on the back of my hand before applying small strokes to create a deeper wave. I take a step back to look over the ocean before stepping up to apply contrast in a needed area. My hand is soon covered in different shades of blue, Looking down on it causes a rather happy feeling to swell. Maybe I should try body paint one day.

I brush off the thought when a knock comes from the studio door, looking over I see Namjoon leaning on the door frame. Once he caught my gaze he took it as an invitation to come in, He slowly made his way over to me. His fingers brushing against different things. 

He makes his way over behind me looking at my painting. I glance up at him as I clean my hands from paint. "What are you doing here?" I ask throwing the towel down and make my way over to the sink.

"We agreed to meet at my car after our lecture. School’s last lecture ended thirty minutes ago, so I decided I'd come and find you." He answers, still looking over the painting. I run my hands under hot water and pump soap into my hands. "Sorry, I've been working on that. It's one of the three pieces I have to finish before winter break so I can enter them into the national art competition." I mutter not too focused on our conversation as I scrub my hands.

"Huh, I guess you really like the ocean then." He comments, I stop scrubbing my hands for a moment as embarrassment washes over me. "I don't know if I can actually say I do since… I've never actually been to the ocean." I shrug and dry my hands.

"You've never been to the ocean?" He gasps, I can hear the disbelief in his voice. "Nope." I hum, emphasizing the 'P' with a popping noise. He's quiet for a minute, in that time I rub lotion on my hands to keep them from becoming dry. 

When I turn around Namjoon is still looking at the unfinished painting. "Let me clean up and grab my stuff before we head out." I say, I don't wait for his response as I put caps on the paint tubes and pour the paint water down the sink. I took my hand rag and made a quick wipe across the now uncovered area, mopping up wet paint as well as slightly smearing it.

I leave the painting up to let it dry as I take the brushes over to the sink to wash them off. I rub the hairs over the bar of soap before using my fingers to rub it in. The murky soap-paint-water mix covers my fingers before the substance is washed off my fingers and the brush under the hot water. 

Once it's all off I turn to grab a towel to see Namjoon eyeing the small personal art wall I have near my station. His hand touches one of the cute drawings I have pinned up and he looks at it with a hard expression. I walk over to him drying off the brushes as I do so, when I get closer I get a better look at who's picture he's looking at.

A small smile plays on my lips when I see who it is. "Jungkook made that for me." I smile brightly. Namjoon turns his head over to me, "I want him to join an art lecture, he's so dead set on joining music like you Namjoon." I laugh sourly. A small smile plays on his lips, "He's good, I don't see why he wouldn't." he mumbles.

"If you think that's good you should see the portrait he made of me, I have hanging in my studio at home." I laugh before putting the dried brushes away. "You mean the one you let him use over the summer to make it?" He asks with a chuckle. "That would be the one," I hum with a fake thoughtful face knowing fully well it was. 

"Why? Did he tell you about it?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "Tell me about it? More like ranted and bragged how he's the only one his Noona will let go into the room. I think he memorized the entire room." He huffed as he looked as if he's recalling the memory. 

"I'm sure that's just exaggerating," I laugh, "You think So?" He questions smugly. "Then I suppose there isn't a red paint stain that looks like blood on the far right wall." He adds, "Or there aren't yellow flowers painted by the window or a blue paint stain behind the door to the room." He continues to list. 

My eyes go wide, "There's a blue stain on the door?" I gasp, completely caught unaware and wondering when the fuck THAT happened. Namjoon shook his head with a laugh. "You are unbelievable," He laughs, I scoff throwing my drying rag at him. I grab my stuff quickly before leaving the room. I stop by the light and I wait for Namjoon to leave before I turn the light off and shut the door. 

We made our way out of the building and to the parking lot where Namjoon parked close to the art room. The sun is going down and Namjoon lets out a sigh at the cool air. I look down at my watch and see it's almost nine, the cool air is settling in faster than expected. 

Namjoon clicks the button on his keyring to unlock the car as we both climb in. The drive home is quiet until he spoke up, "Have you decided on a project?" He asked quietly, I let out a sigh and shook my head. "I didn't think It would be this hard, but everything seems so..." I trail off.

"Bland?" He offers and I nod my head. "I looked over it too and thought the same thing, Nothing seems very interesting. I thought about an Eco project, but I caught wind that a lot of people plan to do it." he comments.

I scoff, "Do those halfwits really think they can pull off an Eco Science project?" I laugh, "That project requires masses of research and data, Not only that but just one of the visual requirements requires a lot of time as well. I can't imagine them doing more than one and It looking acceptable." I snorted. When Namjoon didn't say anything I looked over at him to see he's already looking at me.

I didn't get to see the look on his face until it was wiped off. "Do you think we should show them how it's done?" He smirks, "Please we wouldn't just be showing them how it's done, we would be leading a whole lecture." I laugh.

Namjoon nods, "What Biome should we do?" I question. Before he could answer he pulled into my driveway. "Well, I suppose we can save that question for tomorrow." I mumble before opening the door. "OCEAN!" He yells suddenly, My eyes widen before I snap them over to him. Namjoon clears his throat before shifting in his seat, "Ocean, We should do the ocean." He answers again. 

I smile and nod my head, "Ocean it is then." I hum. Finally climbing out the door but before I could close the door Namjoon leaned over into the seat. "Hey (y/n)," He calls, I duck slightly so I can actually look at him. "I like the Ocean too." He grins as his dimples pop, I scoff and roll my eyes but I can't help the smile that spreads across my face.

I close the door and make my way inside the house. On the way to my room I see the door to my studio. Curiosity got the best of me and I walked into the room and turned on the light before closing the door. "Huh," I hum seeing the dark blue splatter of paint that's just a shade darker than the door. It's almost impossible to see if you weren't actually looking for it. 

<---- Prev // Masterlist // Next ---->

[straykidsworldwild]

Duskwood

Phil Hawkins x MC

Part 2 (2/2) : MC and Phil have lunch but it doesn't turn out as planned.

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Heyy guys!! Here's (2/2) of part2! 😁

(I just made the collage. Credits go to the creators of Duskwood and owners of the pics)

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- Why didn't he want you to have a break? He asks me gently, sounding confused.

- Because I arrived late by one minute this morning, I respond to his question. I look up at Phil as I hear him chuckling. He doesn't believe me...

- Right… he says before looking down at me. I give him a look, showing him that I am being serious. That's enough reason for my boss... Oh, you're being serious? He asks me with surprise. I nod positively as I notice the exasperation growing over his face. What are you waiting for to change your job? He then asks me as we are walking through a small path. Green grass is surrounding it accompanied by flowers. There are two benches every 50 meters. It's one of the most peaceful areas in Duskwood. That's where I usually go by when I need to clear my head. It’s just sad, in a way, that it is next to might work… Oh well...

- Trust me. I looked everywhere. But have you seen a lot of job offers around Duskwood lately? I haven't, I answer to the man as we approach a wooden bench. We take a seat on it while he puts down his bag.

- You could work with me at the Aurora, he proposes to me, using a suggestive tone mixed with a hopeful one.

- Mmmh... I'm not sure it'll be a good idea, I reply and smile playfully to his comment.

- Why not? He asks me, looking a little disappointed. He's actually being serious...

- Well, one, because the others would start to wonder why I am working at your bar, I say as I pull one finger out. Two, will you still manage to work? Won't I be distracting you? I question him playfully, pulling a second finger out while smirking. I know he takes it seriously and I do too, but it makes the atmosphere lighter this way. There's no need to fall on an argument because of that… and Phil is the last person I want to argue with.

- Well, I admit having the beautiful sight you'll be giving me constantly will clearly take my mind off work but, I'm sure I'll manage, he responds with his charming smile, which is contagious, as he enters my game. It's impossible to not smile when he does. I smile as I feel my cheeks lightly burning. It's awful how easy he makes me blush... Phil begins to open it before I hear him rummaging in a plastic bag. Oh… I didn't take anything to eat… I look away, getting nervous. I don't get why he makes me so nervous. It's… a weird feeling. It's a crazy feeling. Here, for you, I turn my head and look at what he is holding to me. Oh…! Cobb salad with a fork, something to drink, he pulls out a bottle of water and gives it to me. I take it. And I heard someone liked dark chocolate so I got some, he tells me, pulling a tablet of chocolate out of his bag. It's terrible… I can't control myself. I can't stop smiling, appreciating his attention.

- My favorite! How did you know? I ask him happily as stars must be filling my eyes. I mean, chocolate is just everything! Phil laughs amused and winks at me. You asked Jessy? I demand him with surprise, yet, kind of… scared of his answer. I don't know why I'm scared about Jessy finding out I accepted to have lunch with her brother. Is this a date in the end?

- No, why would I ask my sister? He asks me back, frowning confused.

- Because she knows me well. And I thought you would have told your sister about this lunch, I simply replied to Phil, telling him my thoughts on how he might have done things before coming here.

- Well, I didn't, he answers calmly, shaking lightly his head left to right. I nod understandingly, keeping a small smile. Did you? He then asks me. I look up at him and start shaking my head negatively. Though, before I could say a word, I was being interrupted.

- MC? Phil? I widen my eyes in surprise to Phil before I turn my head to look at the person. She approaches us, smiling and looking confused at the same time. How…? What are you two doing here? Asks us, Jessy, coming to stand before the both of us. She looks at me with her usual smile, waiting for an answer. Oh God… What am I supposed to tell her? Will she take the truth well? What will she think? I hold onto my fork nervously as I give her a shy smile.

- I saw MC having lunch here by herself while I was walking around so I stopped by to talk a bit, responds, Phil, getting me out of this awkward and nerve wracking situation.

- Mmmh... Shouldn't you be at the bar? She asks him back, looking suspicious. It's hard to hide things from Jessy. Especially since she knows us well… Too well...

- It's pretty empty at this time, Jessy. It's noon. Why do you think I'm eating too? He says and asks her back, sounding calm but also a little annoyed that she stays here and asks all of those questions. I mean… I love Jessy but I'm going to die of nervousness here. I hate keeping secrets from her… Especially when it involves her brother.

- Right, she tells him, not so satisfied by the answer. When does your break end, MC? She then asks me.

- I have to get back in, in like... 15 min or so, I respond to her, looking up at my best friend after checking the time on my phone.

- Let me guess, your boss is being the same dick as ever? She tells me, looking sorry for me. Jessy knows absolutely everything about what my boss said or did to me or my colleagues.

- Bull eyes, I reply, nodding positively. I see Jessy weakly shaking her head left to right, upset with my boss. Oh! Oh, Jessy, before I forgot, could you stop by my mother's for me, please? She wasn't well because of… You know, the loss of my uncle, and I think she needs to take her mind off a little bit, I demand her gently as I know mom considers Jessy like her second child. I'm sure she would be happy to see her. Though, it was hard for me to mention Uncle Alex. Harder than I thought.

- Oh right, I wanted to send you a message. I am so sorry about your uncle, MC. Alex was amazing, she apologizes sincerely to me, her eyes showing sadness. Jessy knees Uncle Alex as well. Duskwood is a small town and, well, Jessy was often at home so she knew him too.

- Thanks… I thank her with a small smile as I frown sadly. I tried...

- Well, I have to get back to work before Richy thinks I quit, she tells us playfully. I smile at her comment. It's true, I think Richy would be lost without her at work. Don't be a dick to her, Phil. I'll know each of your moves, anyway, she warns her brother as she begins to walk away.

- Right… he simply says, sounding annoyed. It was almost as if he didn't mumble to himself. I hear Jessy softly laughing before she finally leaves. I follow her with my eyes before meeting Phil's ones. So gorgeous... So I'm guessing you didn't tell her either, he says with a smirk.

- We all have our secrets, don't we? I reply to the boy before winking back.

- We do, he agrees. The two of us continue eating our lunch as time is passing by. I don't have much time and I won't be able to eat anything before tonight. It's going to be long until then… I look up as I hear a car honking. A little breeze hit my face and pushed back some of my hair. A lock came over my cheek so I gently pushed it away. The sun is so bright in the sky today. You look tired, MC, he suddenly tells me. I do…? I'm not surprised...

- I didn't sleep well. I didn't sleep much. I couldn't with... You know, I answer to Phil as my lock of hair comes over my face again. Though, I couldn't mention my uncle a second time. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

With his hand, he reaches the lock of hair and pushes it gently back behind my ear. Oh… Once again, our eyes meet. As always, there is this connection. They're so deep and… Gorgeous. I mean… How can you not get lost in them? For a moment, we stare at each other as if nothing was surrounding us anymore. I want to get closer to him. I want to know him a little more than I already do. You can't imagine how strong the feeling is… But all of this is so scary. I notice Phil's eyes falling on my lips a few times, desire seen behind them. He is as eager as last night. Without controlling it, I smile at the boy before breaking our look. And back to reality… How can a simple look be so intense? Biting lightly on my lower lip, I feel some heat on my face.

- You're so cute, MC, he tells me with a smile, his voice sounding so… Deep and lovely. I feel myself blushing a little more to the sound of his words.

- And you're a little Devil because you do see that you're making me nervous, I tell him with a chuckle as I push him playfully. Phil laughs along with me before he grabs my hand in his. Oh… My body tenses up due to the surprise and the nervousness he is giving me. But it soon relaxes under his comforting hold. I look down at our hands loving the feeling of being held. Not alone. His hand is so soft and warm. I slowly move my hand and intertwin my fingers with his. Phil lets me do and actually holds it back with a firm, but gentle tight. It's so comforting. I look back up at him and see that the man has been staring at me for a moment actually.

- I do. But blush looks good on you, he suddenly tells me, commenting my previous sentence. Oh come on… How did my heart not give up yet? The two of us smile at each other, sparks certainly illuminating my eyes. I don’t need to see my reflection to know it… This feeling of happiness is enough to say how I feel about him. It’s actually betraying me...

- Hey, Phil, I suddenly hear an unfamiliar voice which gets me out of my thoughts. What…? I retrieve my hand from Phil’s and look at where the voice came from. A blonde is approaching us. Oh… I’ve seen her at the Aurora before. She was “close” with Phil usually. Didn't expect to see you out of your bar, she tells him with a flirtatious look. Right...

- Hey, Lola, I have a life too outside the bar, he responds to the girl, sounding just as annoyed as when Jessy was here. Actually, he sounded more than annoyed. But I can’t describe this feeling...

- Yeah, apparently, she tells him as she looks at him up and down with hungry eyes. Oh please… I look away, staying quiet. What are you doing here anyway? She asks him, putting her hands in her back jean pockets, winding-up. Like it’s not already obvious what you’re trying to do...

- I'm with a good friend, answers, Phil, not revealing anything about this lunch. Right… It’s better this way. Reluctantly, I look up at the girl and give her a small smile. The girl looks at me up and down, clearly judging or being bothered by my presence.

- Right... She says before looking back at Phil and smiles at him. Maybe I should go… I feel like I'm being too much here right now. Can I see you, tonight? I need a little distraction and I'm sure you do too, she asks and tells him with that same flirtatious tone.

- No. I'd rather not, responds, Phil, not even taking time to think of the answer.

- Oh come on, tell me you don't need to relax a little bit. I'm sure the last few days must have been stressful. I could help you with that, she replies with the same annoying flirtatious tone while biting her lower lip and twerking some of her hair with her finger. And Phil liked that…?

- No, it was pretty calm, he tells her, shaking his head lightly. My absolutely not confident self kicks in again… Is he telling her "no" because he knows I want to hear this? Is he doing it because he really doesn't want anything with her? Or will he contact her right after I go back to work? Is it just a play from him? I look away upset and thoughtful. It was going so well...

- Fine, as you want. You know my number if you change your mind, she tells him, sounding disappointed at first but quickly uses that annoying voice and tone again. Even better… Of course he has her number… Well, he can do whatever he wants. We're nothing technically. Just friends. And I'm not jealous of this girl. I just don't like it… The girl leaves us, swaying her hips. Oh God… seriously? Watch where you're going instead...

- I'm sorry… apologizes to me, Phil. I look up at him, disappointed and… I guess, hurt. I'm not disappointed by him. I guess I just don't understand why I didn't see it coming...

- No, it's fine, I say standing up from the bench. I mean, you're mister popular-with-women and it's obvious we couldn't avoid this… I say with a serious tone, a point of jealousy in my voice. I think it's the first time I ever hear this emotion in my own voice. I mean… I'm not jealous… am I? Well… I guess I am...

- No, MC, I'm serious. I don't… He quickly tells me, interrupting me while standing up from the bench as well.

- MC! I suddenly hear someone calling my name. Really? We can't be alone for 30 seconds? I turn around and see Angie approaching rapidly. Oh… I know we're next to the restaurant but why is she here? She should be working... Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to tell you that you have 2 minutes left before the boss comes to look for you. I'm kind of keeping him in my sight so he doesn't come yelling unnecessary at you again, she tells me seriously, having my back. Thank God for having her as my colleague! She actually saved me from two situations… My boss and Phil's...

- Thanks, Angie, I thank my friend. The girl nods before turning around and starting to run toward the restaurant. I face Phil again, watching the boy looking at me with a small frown. He looks… A little nervous? Disappointed? I have to go, Phil. Sorry, I tell him while shaking my head lightly. Thanks for lunch, I give him a quick and very small smile. I turn around, not waiting for his answer and start to walk toward my work place.

- Will you call me? He asks me, coming after me. I stop and turn around again. Once you're out of work, will you call me? I think we need to discuss what happened, he tells me with a surprisingly pleading tone. Hum… Please, MC, he pleads me all of a sudden. I stare at him a little moment, actually surprised by his tone… Of his emotions. I'm lost… I'm not sure what to believe anymore. Maybe the lunch wasn't right after all? Or was it? So much happened in half an hour...

- Maybe... See you, Phil, I reply with a small nod. Phil lightly nods back to me all while he looks down. He’s... Hurt? It’s actually weird to see this expression on his face...

Without another word, I turn around and walk back to the restaurant before my boss comes looking for me. I already don't know what's going to happen since Phil "argued" with him…

My afternoon passes slowly… Slower than this morning. And just like my boss said, I couldn’t leave work before 6pm… Anyway, I’ve done my day, that’s the most important thing. I mean… One of the most. I wanted to go to my mother’s to bring her the little surprise and to spend some time with her. I wanted to see her. It’s been hard lately for the both of us. I need my mom just as much as she probably needs me. When I reached her front door, I knocked on it, but nobody answered. I knocked again, but still, nobody answered. I took my phone out and only noticed then that my mother had contacted me. Why didn't I look at my phone first…?

- “Hey, baby. I’m going to go see Sarah around 5:30pm so I don’t think I’ll be home when you’ll come see me. I’m sorry, MC.” I read her first message. Oh, she’s not home... “Jessica came to see me this afternoon. You told her to come, didn’t you? Well, I’m glad you did, baby. It felt really nice to see a familiar face and to talk about everything and anything other than the situation we are living currently. Thanks, baby.” I read her second message which brought a soft smile on my face. She’s still sad, I can tell, but she seems to have also realized that life isn’t done for her. My uncle is gone, but not us. We still have to live. That’s what Uncle Alex would want us to do anyway… I know it. I crack a small smile again despite the sad frown. Tomorrow is going to be another long and emotional day… I let my little surprise for mom in front of her front door and walk back home. We live ten minutes from each other’s house. I don’t need my car…

Three hours have passed and I am sitting on the floor of my living-room. A piece of paper is set before me, I am holding a pencil and the TV is on. However, I am not watching it. I only have it on to have some noise in the background. The night has fallen and a small warm light is illuminating the living-room. I am preparing my speech for tomorrow. I’ve been trying to write it for… For a good hour and half now. I have so much to say… And yet, I can’t find a way to say them. It’s hard to find the right words. I try. I wrote a dozen drafts already but all of them sucked. It’s so hard to say how I feel. I don’t open up like this easily. And it’s hard to recount a memory when I know that… It just won’t ever happen again. Not with Uncle Alex at least… I had so many good family moments with him and mom. Vacances… Festivals… When I graduated… My birthdays and Christmases… So many good and memorable moments. I think what blocks me is that, no matter how I try to put it in words, there's just not this magic or this thing that made this moment amazing for me. I just want it to be perfect…

Suddenly, I hear my cell phone buzzing. I gasp as I get out of my thoughts. I wasn’t ready to hear it buzzing… I look at the I.D. caller before answering the call.

- Hey… I say to my best friend. I sounded tireder than I thought… What time is it anyway?

- What did you do or say to my brother? She asks me with a confused tone, actually interrupting me. Huh? What is she talking about?

- Wh... I... I'm sorry, I don't follow, I respond to Jessy with a confused tone. I put the pencil down and lean back to lay against the sofa. I look up at the ceiling, frowning confused. Why is she asking me what I’ve done to Phil? What does she mean by that?

- Phil. Did you say or do something to him? She asks me again, reformulating her question. She sounded just as confused as before. And not upset.

- Why would I have done something to Phil? I ask her back, not answering her question. I mean… Phil is certainly the last person I would hurt… I know I left him kind of on a disappointed note, but… I had to go back to work anyway.

- MC, he told me, she says with a slightly annoyed tone. Though, it wasn’t an annoyed tone to tell me I am bothering her, it was more in a way saying “I know, just spill it out”. He did…? What?

- About the lunch? I ask with an unsure tone. Yet, a point of sorry is heard in my voice as I know that I’ve hidden this from her. And I hate it to have hidden something like this from my best friend… We usually say everything to each other.

- About everything, she responds. Oh… Well, there’s no need for an explanation then… I guess... I've never seen Phil like this for a girl before. I almost didn’t believe him when he told me, she tells me, still sounding like she doesn’t believe what he… Did or said to her. He's really trying, you know? She suddenly tells me. Oh… Trying? I mean, it's true that he did put in some effort for lunch earlier today and he did reject the girl… Lola...

- I'm supposed to call him, I just… I admit to my best friend before pausing. I didn't forget to call Phil. I’m going to call him. I don't hold grudges and I don't dwell on a situation that didn't turn out the way I would have liked. I’m not like that. I just wanted to do the speech first... I am writing what I want to say to my uncle for his funeral tomorrow morning, I admit to Jessy as I stare blankly at the white paper in front of me.

- Oh, MC, I'm so sorry. I thought... You didn't reject Phil? She apologizes to me before a brief pause takes place. Then, she asks me a question, sounding confused. Reject? Now I am the one being confused.

- Reject? How can I reject your brother? He never asked anything, I ask her before stating a fact. I mean, shouldn't I be the one who thought I would get rejected?

- That idiot, I hear her mumbling with a disbelieving tone before sighing.

- I will call him. I just need to finish this first, I tell her my plan sincerely and seriously.

- He told me about Lola, too, she tells me. Oh God… Please, don't mention her. He told me what she said and the way she looked at you. He didn't like it. He hated that she looked at you as if you were a cockroach ready to be smashed and how she talked to him before you. He doesn't want you to think what's not true, she explains to me seriously. She's having her brother's back… It’s not surprising. That’s actually good that she’s having his back. But... How much did he tell her?

- And what's not true? I ask her. He's a womanizer. He's good looking. He owns a bar. He likes girls. That's his nature to run after them, I reply to Jessy, feeling so unsure about myself. Wait… Did I really just tell her that her brother is good looking…?

- MC... She calls me gently as I hear lightly sighing. He rejected her for you. He even deleted her number from his phone. Don't you see what this means? She admits and asks me. I look down with a light frown. He did this? I think it's the first time he actually comes to see me at work because he needs to talk, she says with seriousness, a point of disbelief heard in her voice. Work? Wasn't she with mom? She must have gone back to work after...

- “Comes”? As calling? I question her, unsure.

- “Comes” as walking inside Richy's garage, she corrects me. Oh… It's true that I've never seen Phil going to Richy's garage except for his car, maybe? I'm not even sure about that...

- Phil likes me like... A potential boyfriend would like his potential girlfriend? I mean... Not like he likes Lola? I demand her with a slight shy and confused tone. Yet, some hope in my voice. I hear Jessy softly giggling.

- Phil is Phil. He has his way to do things, which aren’t always the best, and his past. But I can tell you he isn't playing with you. I'd be the first one to yell at him for hurting you, she tells me seriously. She's the best! Wait… But I would never let her choose between Phil and I if things go wrong. I would rather want her to side with her brother than with me. Their siblings bond is much more important. Even though she means everything to me as my best friend. Anyway, there's still something off...

- Wait... You're not mad? I demand her with surprise. I mean, I was expecting her to kind of yell at me for not telling her the whole thing with Phil. Or to just yell at me for having lunch with her brother and maybe more… If it ever happens...

- Why would I be? She asks me back, confused and surprised by my question.

- You're my best friend and he's your brother. Isn't it weird to you? I remind her and ask her with a confused tone. I'm just really surprised...

- Well, I’m definitely caught between two stools but, if you two like each other I can't stop that, she replies sincerely which makes me smile. Why can't I control myself?! I keep smiling crazily when something involves Phil and I. I must be so obvious how I feel for him... I feel my cheeks slightly burning again. It's awful how I can blush so easily with that guy... He was right, it's cute how you blush when someone mentions you both, I hear Jessy saying with a playful tone. What…?

- How do you know I'm blushing? I ask her with a surprised tone as I widen my eyes.

- I didn't but now I do, she says as I hear her laughing. She tricked me… I laugh along with her, amused by how much she knows me. She doesn’t even need to see me anymore to know my facial expression. Anyway, I'm not going to get anything done right now… Maybe I should call Phil first and then get to my speech.

- Thanks, Jessy. I think I'm going to call Phil now, I tell her gently as I keep a small smile on my face.

- Okay. I'll go then. But don't tell him I called to tell you all of this, okay? She asks me with a giggle. Oh, she wasn’t supposed to tell me? The little Devil… I chuckle at her comment.

- Of course, I agree with her. Oh wait! I suddenly stopped her before she could hang up. Thanks again. For my mother this time. She told me that she was going to see her best friend. I'm sure your talk must have helped her realize that things are still going on and that it is just a hard moment to pass, I thank and say with sincerity to my best friend, holding the phone before my mouth as I put her on speaker.

- No problem, she replies with her usual cheerful tone. Oh, before I forget, I'll need your help tomorrow night, she tells me rapidly, sounding excited this time. Just in time… I was about to hang up… Let me guess...

- For your dress as the birthday girl? I demand her even though I already know the answer. I smirk.

- Exactly! She exclaims while giggling.

- Of course. Can you come to my place though? Tomorrow is another long day for me and… I ask with an unsure tone before trying to give her an explanation.

- No need to explain. I'll be here at 7:30p.m., is that alright for you? She responds and asks me.

- Perfect! Thanks Jessy. For everything, I thank my best friend truthfully. I hear her giggling cheerfully as usual before we say our goodbye and hang up.

My head is just so full of thoughts right now… With being concerned for my mother even though she is dealing with the loss of her brother at her pace, dealing with the loss of my uncle at my own pace as well, thinking about Phil, thinking about my stressful job, or more about how much money my boss owes me for cutting my pay so many times, thinking about all the work I have to get done for college… There’s just so much at once. I feel like I haven’t been resting for weeks… Why is it so complicated? Everything seems simple when I’m with Phil though… His calm behavior is just so relaxing and just his presence in general makes you feel comfortable and safe and… Good. Jessy is right, I should call him. What else do I have to do anyway? And let’s not lie to myself, I’m dying to call him to hear the sound of his voice...

[giuliafc]

Caught in the Loop - chapter 2

Read the whole story:

Ao3 || FFN || Wattpad

Chat Noir bets to Ladybug that he loves the girl behind the spots, no matter who she is. Ladybug bets to Chat Noir that he's only her partner and best friend, she doesn't love him 'that' way. What happens when they accept to get caught into a spiritual 'loop' , living through many alternate realities to prove that they're right and win their bet? They end up losing it, of course. They lose ROYALLY. Lovesquare identity reveal with a twist!

Cover art credit: Rosehealer02

Chapter 2 — Jealousy

Marinette woke with a start. She sat up in a mad haste and then blinked and looked around. And then blinked again. What was she doing in her room? Last thing she remembered, she was in a closet with Chat Noir and Chaoss had triggered the loop. Why was she in her—she looked at her legs and winced—bed? She had been in school. What was going on?

"Oh, good morning, Marinette," came a voice from her back and Marinette turned around to see Tikki rub her little eyes sleepily. "It's unusual for you to wake up so early."

Marinette looked at her watch and saw that it was 5.30 AM. She collapsed back on her bed, landing on her back, and put a hand on her forehead, moving her hair from it with the gesture.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" The little red kwami moved from her place on the side of Marinette's pillow and started floating over her face.

"I… I must have had a dream, Tikki. Nothing—"

She wanted to say 'nothing to worry about', but as she was starting to say that, she turned around on her left to look at the pictures of Adrien and Luka on the side of her bed. The second her gaze landed on the little showcase on display on her wall, she felt herself sucking her breath in and her heart stopped. She found herself unable to continue her sentence as all blood drained from her face.

In full display on her showcase weren't the pictures of Adrien and Luka, nor the other pictures of her friends she remembered having there. No. At the centre of the showcase was a blown up version of… what looked like… a kiss between Ladybug and Chat Noir? There were cuts from magazines and newspapers showing the two heroes together, in poses that Marinette didn't remember having ever struck and doing things that she didn't remember having done. Couple things? She bolted in a sitting position so fast that her head banged on the ceiling of her bed's mezzanine.

"Ouch," she muttered as her hands ran to the tender spot on the top of her head where her skull had met the wall. "That hurts!" She opened her eyes again, hoping that the pain she had just felt would wake her up from whatever daydream she had fallen in, but the pictures of her alter ego in a romantic engagement with her partner didn't go away. They kept glaring at her, almost loudly.

"Marinette, you're more clumsy than usual this morning," mused Tikki. The frown on her face was one of concern. "Maybe you should tell your mother that you're not feeling well? Stay at home?"

Marinette's heart was playing overdrive. Her hand moved to the picture of Ladybug kissing Chat Noir and stroked her partner's face. She moved her hand to every picture and newspaper article.

Hang on, a newspaper article?

Marinette removed the pin on one of the articles attached to her showcase and picked it up, starting to read it, but it was only an account of the fight against Dark Owl, exactly like she remembered it. She was nearly putting it back to its place, but when she reached the end, her eyes widened as she read, 'after Ladybug captured the akuma, our beloved couple of superheroes celebrated the victory again with their trademark kiss on the lips.'

"Their WHAT?" she whispered. Her heart was in her throat. She stood up in a haste from her bed and nearly somersaulted down the stairs of her mezzanine. When she reached the floor of her bedroom and looked around, the pictures that greeted her were none that she could remember. Her whole room was plastered with pictures of Ladybug and Chat Noir's achievements. She moved the mouse of her computer and even her lockscreen was different! Instead of the collage she had made with modelling pictures of Adrien, her eyes were met with a similar collage—of Chat Noir? What. The. Proverbial. Heck—? The more her eyes darted from one side of her room to the next, the more her face felt drained of blood and her heart felt like freezing in her chest.

"Marinette? Can you tell me what's going on? Why are you looking at the pictures of your boyfriend as if you've seen a three headed monster?" When Tikki said that, Marinette's panic doubled. No, who was she kidding. It tripled. Quadrupled. CENTUPLED.

"My what?" She turned towards the kwami and stared into her concerned blue eyes with her terrified ones.

"Your—boyfriend. That nightmare must have been really bad, Marinette." Tikki moved a paw to her forehead. "Or maybe you've come down with something. Maybe you should transform and tell Chat Noir you're not feeling well and ask if he can be Mr. Bug for the day. I can bring him the earrings."

Marinette brought her hands to her temples. "This… doesn't make sense, Tikki. I was in a closet with Chat Noir. He was saying, as always, that he would love me no matter who I was, and I told him, as always, that for me he was only my best friend, and then you and Plagg started talking about this loop, and then Chaoss app—" She was interrupted by Tikki's paws on her lips.

"Chaoss you said? The loop?" Her eyes were now wide. "Okay, so now everything makes sense."

Marinette groaned. "What do you mean it all makes sense? What's going on and what happened to my pictures of Adrien?" Her voice rose a whole octave as she said the last couple of words.

Tikki sighed. "Adrien, you say? Oh yes, that makes perfect sense." She must have noticed the look of pure confusion Marinette had shot at her, because the little kwami gave her a pat on the cheek and smiled softly. "I can't be more precise with you, Marinette. You're not my Marinette, I can't give you too much information. From what I heard, in your reality you and Chat Noir are only friends."

Marinette didn't know why, but the way Tikki had said those words and the gleam in her eyes as she said them took her aback. The words of the kwami resounded in her head a few times and she widened her eyes in shock.

"So this is part of the loop?" she asked.

Tikki nodded. "Yes. This is not your reality, it's one of the realities you will be put through as part of the loop." Marinette breathed better.

"So I haven't gone completely mad or something, this isn't real. It's only part of the loop process," she mused under her breath.

Tikki's eyes hardened. "No, Marinette. This reality is as real as the reality you live in. It's an alternate reality that hasn't happened in your timeline, but it doesn't mean that it's less real or that doing something here won't have consequences for the world as it is in this reality, and for my Marinette when she will be back."

"I-I don't understand," said Marinette.

"You have been sent here for a reason, Marinette. Did you say that your part of the loop was betting that he was only a friend for you?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes, he's my partner and my best friend. I mean—" She lowered her gaze. "—he did tell me that he loved me, when we faced Glaciator. He had prepared a beautiful rooftop lit with candles and gave me a gorgeous red rose. But I rejected him because I love Adrien." Tikki seemed to be trying to say something but Marinette continued quickly, "I know it's only a dream to be with Adrien, but I can't help it."

"So you're not Adrien's girlfriend either?" asked Tikki.

Marinette shook her head. "I wish. No, I'm not. And he has a girlfriend now, but I still can't forget him. I have even tried to go out with another boy, Luka. And he's great and all but… I can't be truthful with him and we recently broke up. I can't have a relationship with someone and have to run away from him every five minutes because of an akuma. Luka was great, I really liked him, but I hurt him because I couldn't tell him the truth and that's when I realised that while I'm Ladybug there's no space for romance in my life." She couldn't help it, she felt her eyes filling with tears and covered her face hastily with her hands, as deep sobs shook her frame. She felt Tikki's paw patting her head softly.

"What about your Chat Noir? You said he went in the loop because he wanted to prove to you that he would love you whoever you are, so he still loves you, and deeply."

"He does," said Marinette in between sobs. "That's what he kept telling me from the start. I told you I had to reject him after André was turned into Glaciator because I couldn't reciprocate his feelings."

"But if you're trying to move on from your feelings about Adrien, if Adrien has become unattainable because he has a girlfriend, why turn to someone like Luka and not give Chat Noir a chance? He's not doing that badly as your boyfriend here."

Marinette took her face off her hands and gave a very watery look to her red spotted friend. Her heart hurt at Tikki's words and she wasn't entirely certain why. Was it because Tikki had just pointed out that Marinette had treated Chat Noir not even as a second choice, but a third? Was it because she had said that he was a good boyfriend? She had never doubted he would be; in fact, there was a time when she had thought that, had Adrien not been in the picture, she may have fallen in love with Chat Noir. So… why did she turn to Luka when she needed someone to be with? Why not Chat Noir who had been patiently waiting for her for such a long time? The pang of guilt attacked her heart so suddenly that it caught her by surprise.

"I…" she started to say, but Tikki smiled and put her paws on her mouth.

"You don't need to tell me anything, Marinette. You don't need to justify yourself. But you know what?" she said as her paws left her lips and she met Marinette's gaze with hers. "You're here now to learn a lesson, and I have an idea what that lesson may be." She gave Marinette a smug look and that shocked her a bit. She wasn't used to seeing such a look on her kwami's face—it was more common to see it on Alya's.

"I have no doubts that Chat Noir would be a great boyfriend, Tikki, but I can't be with him because of Chat Blanc," she eventually said.

Tikki looked surprised. "Chat Blanc?"

"It hasn't happened here?" Marinette asked. At Tikki's surprised 'no', her heart beat a bit faster. "One day in my timeline, Bunnyx appeared and brought me to the future. Everything had been destroyed, the moon had been Cataclysmed, and Chat Noir was all white and sitting atop Montparnasse Tower, heart broken. He said that our love had done that to the world. I thought it was a sign that I couldn't be with Chat Noir! Does he know my identity here?" she asked hastily, suddenly fearing that she had been thrown into the reality where Chat Noir had turned into Chat Blanc.

Tikki shook her head. "No, he doesn't. You're only together as superheroes."

"Am I the Guardian even here?" she asked after breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes, you are. Something happened a few weeks ago when Hawkmoth akumatised your classmate Chloé."

So that hadn't changed. She nodded absent-mindedly and took another look at one of the pictures in her room. That one wasn't cut from a newspaper but had probably been taken either with her yoyo or with Chat's baton and printed with her printer; it showed them snuggled together on a rooftop, both smiling.

He had a nice smile there and looked really happy, but it wasn't what surprised her. SHE looked happy too. She ran a finger over the picture, contouring Chat's face and smile, and then sighed.

"That picture was taken a couple of nights ago, after an akuma," revealed Tikki.

So… she wasn't heartbroken here? She wasn't drowning under the heaviness of the responsibility of being a Guardian? She looked genuinely happy. Her gaze darted around and she examined all the pictures she could get close to, looking at her face. Looking at her eyes.

She was happy. Her heart sank. Was she the cause of her own heartache? Had she been rejecting the only boy she could possibly date and be happy with? A boy whose sex-appeal she had never been totally unaware of, nor unaffected by. By the time she thought all of that, her heart was pounding madly in her chest. Had she been a fool in rejecting Chat Noir?

"I… look so… happy," she muttered under her breath.

Tikki flew next to her. "Are you not happy in your reality?" She didn't need to say anything for Tikki to understand. She only needed to look at the kwami. "Oh. You're not."

She shook her head and grabbed the picture that Tikki had said had been taken only a couple of nights before. She gave a very long look full of longing at both their faces, their smiles, their closeness, how his arm wrapped around her shoulder, how she leaned into his chest, how softly they were both looking at each other, the warmth in their eyes and in their smiles. She wanted that. She craved that. She wanted someone to hug her like that. To look at her like that. Someone to lean on like that.

Was she feeling jealous of… herself? Envious of what her self had in this reality? When the realisation hit, she could hardly breathe.

"I need to see him, Tikki," she said as she put her clothes on and then put the picture in the pocket of her jeans.

"If you do—" started Tikki, but Marinette cut her off.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt his feelings."

Tikki put her paws on Marinette's mouth. "I'm not worried about that at all, Marinette. You look as if you need a hug and I can't do that for you." Marinette nodded, her eyes filling with tears again as Tikki continued, "Just transform, call him and meet him at the Eiffel Tower. He's used to you waking up in a mood where you need a hug; especially recently, with all the responsibilities of being a Guardian. But can you do me a favour?" Marinette nodded. "Don't pretend to be her. Just… go with the flow and try to enjoy it. Give him a good shot. Tell him you're not the Ladybug he knows, because he may feel the difference and ask you about it. He can take it, don't underestimate him."

Marinette smiled. "I will, Tikki, thank you."

"You know the words," chirped the red kwami.

"Tikki, spots on!" said Marinette and as the pink energy wrapped on her body, she landed on the mezzanine with one jump, and then flew out of the skylight door.

oOoOoOoOoOo

When she landed on the usual spot at the top of the Eiffel Tower, she hastily picked up the Bugphone and dialled Chat's number. As expected, the phone went into voicemail.

"Has the cat got your tongue? Leave a message! (1)" She smiled softly at hearing the exact same voicemail message that she was used to. Her Chaton was always the same, no matter which reality she was in. But when she heard the beep and knew that it was her moment to speak, her heart started going overdrive. She had told Tikki that she wouldn't pretend and that she was going to be honest with this Chat Noir. But he was used to a different Ladybug, a Ladybug whom she did not know enough about to mimic. What if he didn't like her? What if she ruined the happy life of her self in this reality by hurting involuntarily his feelings? Why had she decided to call him? What did she want to prove? Her eyes filled with tears and she just hung up the phone. She didn't have the heart to ask him to come; and in some way, she felt as if she was stealing someone else's boyfriend for a cuddle. No, it was much better if she didn't call him. She would live this reality and see him today if an akuma appeared—yes, that was the best idea.

She wiped away the tears that had already streamed from her eyes and looked for a while at the dimness of the early morning hours turning into daylight, as the sun lazily started its journey across the sky and darkness faded into shades of red and gold. A cool breeze was gently blowing in her face and hair and the sound of the sparrows and swallows chirping was slowly filling the silence of the night. She was so lost in her thoughts and so busy contemplating the view that she completely missed the light thump behind her, until she felt two arms wrapping around her waist; she gasped loudly.

"Did I scare you, Buginette?" said Chat Noir after placing a kiss on the top of her head. Marinette's heart went into overdrive. Oh no. She was so not ready to face him! Why was he there, she hadn't left a message or anything.

"A little," she confessed, looking down to the ground. She barely noticed that he had moved and had sat down next to her. "Why are you here, Chat?"

He tilted his head on the left slightly and gave her a doubtful look. "Are you okay, mon amour? I got a missed call from you on my communicator and you had hung up without saying good morning. If you allow me to say so, M'lady, that was purr-etty out of character for you. Even now you seem… strange. Have you been up again all night trying to figure out how to increase your powers? Do you need a boyfriend hug?" He opened his arms wide and Marinette, who had already felt all blood rush to her face the moment he had called her 'mon amour', felt somehow her face getting even warmer. Her heart was beating so hard in her throat that she felt it even in her ears. Her throat felt dry all of a sudden and her hands felt like ice as her eyes filled with tears.

She looked with longing at the arms open in invitation. She needed this. All her being needed this. Would it be really such a bad thing to take advantage of someone else's boyfriend like this? Was he really someone else's boyfriend in the first place? A part of her was screaming that yes, he was, because she wasn't the Ladybug he was in love with. But another part of herself was debating the point and arguing that she was still Ladybug. What harm could there be in getting a little comfort?

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you, minou. Really, it's nothing. I feel silly I even called y—" As Marinette was saying that, Chat Noir started rubbing a hand down her back, and eventually began giving her a light massage on the neck. This made Marinette go quiet, as she didn't know how to react. Her chaton didn't give her back rubs!

"What’s wrong, Buginette? You usually don't tense like this when I give you a little rub on the back." Marinette's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to be looking at her with a frown as his hands carried on what felt like expert work on her neck. Slowly, Marinette felt her tension fading and when he moved a finger down her spine, she couldn't avoid moaning and shivering. She tensed slightly, as she felt somehow ashamed at how that moan had sounded a little… lecherous? But she couldn't help it; he was too good at it. As his hand reached a spot she didn't know was causing her tension and eased it, making her feel, for the first time in a very long while, calm and relaxed, she instinctively leaned into him, a satisfied little smile curling her lips.

"God you're good at this," she muttered under her breath. Then she felt his arms wrapping tightly around her and she decided that she didn't care if this felt like taking someone else's boyfriend. Technically, she was still her self. Tikki's words also came back to her mind and she finally let herself go.

"Try to enjoy it," Tikki had said. She shouldn't feel guilty about it, should she? For a fraction of a second, as she felt his arms wrap around her she thought of Adrien. But a fraction of a second later, she mentally slapped her own head in shame. Why was she thinking of another boy when she was in Chat Noir's arms trying to enjoy the fact he was her boyfriend? What kind of person was she? She felt ashamed of herself. Then she realised why. Chat Noir smelled like Adrien. That mixture of 'Adrien — the fragrance' and… the smell of… dirty socks? No. She hugged him more tightly and inhaled deeply on the side of his neck, taking in his scent for the very first time. It was smelly cheese. Oh yes, Plagg ate Camembert right? That's what the smell was, Camembert cheese. So it was understandable that Chat Noir would smell of that. And maybe try to camouflage it by wearing a little too much cologne. Somehow the mix felt almost irresistible, especially coming from him.

She had to admit that Chat Noir had some taste in his choice of cologne… She sniffed him again. Mhhhh 'Adrien — the fragrance'... heavenly smell. As she did that for the second time, she felt him chuckling.

"You're tickling me, Buginette. What was that for?" He broke the hug and looked her in the eye. His gaze was soft, a little cheeky as she always remembered it to be, but possibly, even more full of love than the looks her Chat Noir would give her. A pang of electricity struck her in the most intimate depths of her soul as she reciprocated the look. "That's the wonderful girl I love," he said, a soft smile tugging the corners of his mouth. Then he put a hand on her chin and, with no hesitation, kissed her right on the lips.

Marinette forgot how to breathe. Her eyes slammed open at what she considered a daring move, coming from her chaton. She had to remind herself, using the last brain cell that she had left, that this wasn't her chaton, or rather, that she wasn't his Ladybug. And his Ladybug was his girlfriend, he had every right to kiss her, she thought, just before deciding to let herself go completely. Her arms reached his nape and her hands sank into his golden mane. His little moan at the gesture and the purr that started rumbling in his chest when her fingers scratched behind his ears gave her confidence.

She suddenly felt a huge injection of strength within herself and leaned into him, attempting to deepen the kiss; her shock when he opened his lips and let her in made her heart triple the pace of its beats. It was happening, her brain realised all of sudden. This was her very first kiss of such an intensity. Yes, she'd kissed him before when they faced Dark Cupid (and against Oblivio, but that didn't count because none of them could remember it), but this was different. This was mutual. He was very much aware of the kiss and was responding with such ardor that she felt her knees like jelly and a pang of electricity shake her insides. He sucked on her bottom lip and then started peppering her jaw with kisses until he reached the neck of her suit, and used his hand to pull it down a little bit and start sucking on the base of her neck, right on her pulse. The moan of pleasure that escaped her lips made her blush to the roots of her hair.

Oh God, please. She needed more. She wanted more. Let this moment never end! She attacked his lips with hers and deepened the kiss again almost immediately. She felt a physical need to taste him, to be close to him, to become one thing with him. It was almost a primal instinct and deciding to go with the flow, she let her hair completely loose. This was where she really wanted to be, where she really should have been from the very start.

As she thought that, she was making her timid imitation of what he had done that had lit a burning fire in her soul, by leaving his kiss-swollen lips and starting to lick his jaw and his neck down until she reached his suit. She copied what he had done and moved his suit on the neck and tried to suck on the skin like he did, but the second she did that, images of Adrien filled her mind, and she froze on the spot, panting hard.

Why on Earth was she thinking of Adrien while she was making out with Chat Noir? Yes, he smelled exactly like Adrien and this was driving her insane. But it wasn't fair to him. Bad, bad Marinette. He may smell like Adrien but was that enough for triggering her body's response? Was she going to want to make out with any boy who wore the 'Adrien — the fragrance' perfume? No, she was sure of that. The smell wasn't what was triggering it. It was something else. Was it… guilt? Her feeling guilty because she was making out with Chat Noir? Or was it maybe that he really reminded her of him?

He was also panting hard as she kept sucking, but when she stopped, she noticed that he went a little rigid and now seemed uncomfortable. He purposely put his hands on her shoulders and moved her a little bit, to look into her eyes. Marinette's heart was pounding so madly in her chest that she thought it would soon come out as she panted deep and hard.

He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look at him, a gleam of confusion in his electric green eyes. "Who are you?" he asked and Marinette's eyes widened in shock.

Shoot. Of course she wasn't at all comparable to his girlfriend who had been used to doing those things with him for a very long time. Now she was in trouble. She lowered her gaze, unable to look at him in the eye and felt all blood rush to her face.

"I…" she started to say, but Chat Noir stopped her and started looking around her as if he was trying to find something.

"Are you a… sentimonster?" he asked himself, but then corrected himself immediately, "No, that's impossible. A sentimonster would have tried to grab my ring after distracting me." He must have seen that she had reached a shade of red deeper than her Ladybug suit because a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he again grabbed her chin and forced her to make eye contact.

"I… I'm Ladybug. Really, Chaton. I swear, I'm not a sentimonster, you don't need to be worried about me. Just… Oh, I don't know how to explain it to you!"

Chat Noir picked his baton up and had a look at the time. "It's only 6.30 in the morning. There's plenty of time," he mused. Then he leaned with his back against the metal structure of the tower and crossed his legs, and his arms on his chest. "Maybe you could start from the beginning. I won't leave until I know what happened to my Buginette."

Marinette wished the ground would swallow her whole, but she knew that Chat Noir was right. Not only had she technically taken advantage of another girl's boyfriend, but she had deceived him, not telling him the truth. Telling more lies would have just made her hole wider. And deeper.

She sighed, looked down and started to talk.

———————————————-

Notes:

(1) thank you to the Miraculous Wiki for the transcript of "The Collector" where I've taken Chat Noir's Canon voicemail.

———————————————-

Author's note

———————————————-

Hi there! That's chapter 2… hope you liked it! Sorry it took me so long to update. I went through a little block and couldn't write anything for a while, so I started translating one of my long stories in Italian to get some inspiration back.

Now the inspiration is back though, so keep following! I decided to update the Loop because it was the story that got the most reviews while I was having a block. So if you're curious to know how Marinette's first loop will end and about Chat Noir's first loop too… you know the drill. Reblog with tags and comments, let me know what you think! I love reading your comments, and your reviews have been what has brought me out of the block I was having. So carry on commenting!

Also, if you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon.

[princessmishka22]

🎵💖🎵💖🎵

A #toonenough instrumental version as a dedication & tribute to everyone. Please see the description of the video. https://youtu.be/qFS6jUF95I4

I wrote it there once, and I will do it to speak up for myself on here.😅 So please, don't take me the wrong way.

The reason why I put this altogether because I've already know everyone lost their loved ones along with their inspiration people. My great uncle (you will see the link here:

https://www.deviantart.com/8teamfriends8/art/In-Loving-Memory-collage-of-Great-Uncle-Louis-838413757), my friend's loving grandma, and a YouTuber inspiration; #SteveCash83. Due to what we are all going through; it feels devastating and overwhelming that got us feel unmotivated.

Yet, we can't give up doing what we love for those who made us who and what we are. Good or bad; there are still good hearted people out there who needs our help. Like I did mention somewhere on the link through my Instagram of my great uncle...

It's best for those to treat everyone with kindness, not just because we are different? They may not know what we're going through when a unexpected feeling happen in a split second. From negative but sad experience, turn around into create a positive impact after a short or long term recovery.

Whenever you got to a struggle in a biggest mix up days or nights, just the same time feeling overwhelming empathize those you loved and cared about? Whether through being bullied, mistreated unfairly, or etc? It takes more than just standing up with positive feelings.

The truth is that everyone I knew including me; we all been through a lot. Even if we feel so alone, some people we encountered and bond with them show their support and comfort to us. Despite all the sad times effect drastically and nerve wrecking; that doesn't stop the ones who went off without knowing what they're missing.

If the ones can't see what life truly means to anyone which made you feel push away or crush, or shock..? It will take a lot more than a verbal apologize. Be happy and glad you have those who loves you still inside out. Even they know the real you deep down by the heart.

Also if it helps you, please #passiton and #senditon . #WereAllInThisTogether

Please no troll, spam, bash, flame, profanity, etc. I only did this for fun and dedicated to my friends, family, and the #ToonTown crossover fandom.

I don't own anything, all goes to their original rightful owners. 

I hope you like it. ^^

-💖Mish💖

[untilthenextencore]

Kashmir Pt.1

As usual forever editing~.

Enjoy~!

...

Wandering blithely through his castle Robert sighed. It was now just past teatime & Lord Kidderminster had exhausted just about every form of entertainment that he could think to occupy himself, his mind or his time with. His affairs were all but done for the day and yet the day itself was far from done. And since he had decided to extend his morning ride earlier that day, even that beloved pasttime was off the table for the time being.

He had spent the day with his old friend Jimmy, or as he was known in the public sphere Lord Heston of Middlesex. Yet the mercurial older gentleman was not much in the mood for sunny pleasantries - when was he ever~?! - certainly not after he & Robert took their conversation into the library where it was then cut short by the fellow Count picking up a hefty, rather ancient looking tome off of one shelf & becoming quickly invested. When Robert jokingly asked if Jimmy would like to be left alone with his "new precious little thing" he was surprised - only initially - to find that the answer was a yes. And so he left "Old Blackbeard" to his own ever mysterious devices.

Suffice to say that Lord Heston's company left a lot to be desired that day...

Gazing out his window for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, Robert was stunned to find that the light rain that had been falling for some time, had recently ceased, giving the surrounding fields an almost dreamy haze. Mystical. The light from the sun peeking through & refracting through the lingering haze, shattering into shards of color that reached out into the misty air.

Through the mists Robert saw movement by a nearby pond. Intruders! Hooligans! Drunkards! No... Wait... Women... Girls in fact!... Young girls at that!... Two of them... A blonde & a brunette... Both dressed in while brief slip dresses until all of a sudden one wasn't. "Oh!" Robert gasped at the sight. She slipped out of her slip dress, laying it on the grass nearby as she dipped into the pond squealing a bit at the cold & then motioning for her dark haired friend to do the same. Robert watched the scene with rapt attention unaware that his lips were parting with the rasped request. "Oh, please God, yes!"

Indeed, outside at the pond the young strawberry blonde Sibella or Sibby was indeed trying to get her young dark haired friend Charissa or Rissa to join her. "C'mon, Rissa!" She laughed, splashing about both to acclimate to the cold water & to tease her shyer friend. They had started the day in gauzy white dresses with crowns made of little pink and white flowers. Her dress had since been discarded after the freak midday shower, both of their flower crowns bleeding petals into their hair.

Rissa gazed warily at her bold young friend, now as naked as the day she was born. She folded her right arm across her midsection, hand braced against the crook of her elbow. "I don't know, Sibby... This is an awfully big place here... Whoever owns this place probably owns this little pond thing too. Get dressed. Maybe we should go?"

Sibby just scoffed." Oh my God! You're such a scaredy cat! You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Rissa gazed at Sibby in confusion, leading to another incredulous scoff from the older girl.

"This place is Wolverhampton Manor! A bit away from Wolverhampton true but it is so named due to that being a favored haunt of the owner of this manor, Count K also known as Count Robert Plant, Robert Anthony Plant Lord Kidderminster of Worcestershire. His dearest friends included a driver who came into a title from a distant relative Count John Henry Bonham, Lord Clewer of Berkshire. And the most notorious rakehell of his day Count James Patrick Page Lord Heston of Middlesex."

The list of names and titles and places made Rissa's head spin, prompting her to exclaim with an incredulous laugh. "How do you know these things?!"

Sibby just shrugged. "I read about it in study hall once. Fastest I've ever gone through a history book in my life! Shame they're all gone now. From what I've heard they were gorgeous men the lot of them. But a lot of rumors surround them all. Things you wouldn't believe!"

"I bet." Rissa laughed. "What else could get you to read a history book so fast?"

This made Sibby laugh. "Yeah. Well, c'mon! You don't even have to undress if you don't want to. Just hop in!"

"Oh, all right!" Rissa sighed through her laughter. At last the ever irrepressible Sibby had won!

At last Rissa dipped into the pond, inching in until it was at chest height, the same as dear Sibby. She shivered intermittently as she acclimated to the chilly water herself before casting a quick look at her surroundings, musing with a wry grin that she hoped veiled her still frazzled nerves. "I could swear I saw the curtains up in the manor shift a little. In a room or two. Not sure."

Sibby just grinned. "You just hit one of the rumors I've heard on the head!"

"What?" Rissa hushed.

"Well..." Sibby looked around herself as if she were sharing a secret in a crowded room & not the open field bereft of anyone but them that they were in. She then leant in & spoke also in a hush, this one a bit more excited. "They say that the Counts were all part of this thing called the Order of Kashmir..."

...

Back in the library Jimmy was laid down on the exquisite bearskin rug, the heavy, cracked, leather-bound volume beside him. His eyes were closed, all of his senses were focused on the room around him.

Shifting was a difficult skill to master, even with his centuries of experience in magick, & required full concentration, & full synchronisation with the magician’s environment. One had to taste, scent, touch, see & hear the magick in the air. See with the heart & the mind, see with internal eyes. The desired shape must appear as real before the magician as his own hands before his own eyes.

It was fiercely complicated, & shifting into the Hermit came with its own set of dangers. The spirit of the Hermit was notoriously possessive of magicians & querents, & if not approached respectfully, humbly, or honestly, could be killed trying to divine his wisdom.

He could feel the shift beginning, the air taking in true texture around him, wrapping him in, binding the consciousness of Lord Heston in place, allowing the rest of him to merge with the Hermit, physically & mentally.

When he next opened his eyes, he could feel the changes, the new form. The Hermit craved sunlight, needing to regenerate his form, leading him to the ceiling-length window, surveying the now-damp meadows sparkling in the sunlight.

A darting flash near the pond, a subsequent splash drew their eye. Two young ladies splashing about in the sun-warming water, their giggles echoing even to them in the library.

Golden faerie maidens. Theirs the purest of magicks, the strongest potential of the senses.

Both of them - the Hermit & Lord Heston - felt deep stirrings at the sight of the splashing maids, one stirring at the magickal pull of the girls, the other stirring at the more erotic potential of such youth & beauty.

...

Robert could hardly tear himself away from the window in his room as he watched the girls frolic & splash about. Both of them were finally in the water, laughing & talking, though he could not quite make out what was being said. Both young ladies were, he could tell, in the ripeness of health & youth, all curves & soft skin, reminding him of his own glowing memories of springtime swims in the pond, as well as the interludes that often followed such swims in later years.

He licked at his dry lips, considering how he might entice them to explore the grounds further. He wondered if they’d discovered his apple & lemon orchards yet... Both were in full bloom, both his apples & lemons deliciously ripe & sweet... The scents were legendary for perfuming the countryside in high spring & summer - if the girls had not found it, he knew they surely would soon. Perhaps then, he might introduce himself to them...

...

"Order of Kashmir?" Came the reply from Rissa along with another curious look.

"Yes. They called it the Order of Kashmir. A list of nobility at the time - a relatively small list but a list no less - all were said to have joined this secret order that gave them powers or something. Vampires. Immortal spirits or the like. They say people still spot them around the grounds and areas of their old Manors, Castles & Haunts. All around the world there are sightings of the Counts and others said to be in the Order. Kashmirites some call them. Kashmirite Sightings. They're in all the papers. Especially gossip rags though."

"The same ones that talk of UFOs, Big Foot & the Loch Ness Monster?" Charissa snickered.

"Seriously! Though I have to admit after reading about the Order I was kind of hoping that in making this trip that we could maybe have a chance at catching... At finding... At sighting a few Kashmirites... Look!" She pulled a scrap of paper from her pocketbook nearby. It had a picture - a collage - of the Kashmirites. Messrs. Lords. Page. Plant. Bonham. Jones. Coverdale. Beck. The list went on. Sibby then showed Charissa her latest books that she had been carrying on the subject. One was a rundown on the lives of the mysterious Lords. The other was on the Order of the Kashmir as a whole & Kashmirites as a subject. Charissa was nothing less than stunned. "Well! I'll be darned!"

"Mmm-hmm..." Sibby nodded. "They say the ringleader of sorts or at least the one the deepest into the order, higher up in the ranks or something, was Rakehell Page. He was said to be like a wizard or something!"

Charissa couldn't help but laugh at this now, prompting Sibby's squealed reply. "I'm serious! Seriously! Seriously, Rissa! He--..."

Whatever her next words were to be as a loud clap of thunder sounded, emanating seemingly from above the Manor as another sheet of rain began to fall over the grounds. This prompted the two young girls to shriek & scurry to climb out of the pond. Sibby hurried into her dress. Charissa helped Sibby gather her books. Sibby in return helped Rissa out of her dress so the two of them could wring it out, where she then began to help her friend back into it. She had only barely managed to get the dress to cover the peaks of Charissa's breasts when...

Just then...

A male voice called out to them...

"Well, well, well... What's all this now?..."

The two girls whipped their heads in the direction of the voice where they were met by the sight of a tall, regal looking gentleman all flowing blonde curls, turquoise jewelry & long flowing cape draped over his shoulders. Steel blue eyes pierced them both as dimples popped both near the corners of his upwardly curving mouth & in the center of his chin as he teased them with a wry Cheshire Cat grin. "To what do I owe this extreme pleasure?" His eyes raked over their bodies with those words. Sibby's with her dress clinging to her in places & Rissa with hers hardly on, barely over her nipples revealing the expanse of creamy curved flesh below. This she remedied quickly, hurriedly taking over from Sibby & pulling her dress back down in a huff, face burning with the heat of both his gaze & her subsequent blush.

When the girls couldn't manage to do more in response to his question than gape, stammer & stumble over their words, a great many of which were "Um... Uh... Well... I... We... You see... I, uh--... Ahem..." He just chuckled, holding two other capes out to them. "Come now, loves. It's frightful out here." He crossed over & draped the rich, warm fabrics over their trembling forms as he draped an arm around each of them, leading them ahead towards the door. "Let's go inside & see if we can't get you warmed up."

The girls nodded shyly, not sure of what to do past that. But as they neared the door to the Manor, Rissa turned towards Sibby & hushed one word where only she could hear, motioning almost imperceptibly to the tall, striking, dimpled blonde gentleman in between them. "Nessie~..."

...

The storm had come again, in earnest this time, the thunder drowning out the pained gurgling scream from the library. Both the Hermit & Lord Heston had been stirred by the sight of the girls, Lord Heston the most, & had summarily lost control of the shift, causing a physically painful, albeit temporary, rending of the shared consciousness.

The Hermit retreated further inward to maintain balance, as Lord Heston gathered himself in kind, the pain fading, but the memory keen.

The brunette had been worth such a blow, however. Lush, sweet softness beneath such a delicate frock... the unexpected surprise of her innocent nakedness stirring Heston to half-hardness...

And the wretched timing of the lord of the manner! Scooping up both maidens in one fell swoop, undoubtedly promising them sweet porridge & hot tea, promising to dry their frocks at his fireside, as the three of them romped & frolicked in his bed. No doubt that by nightfall, Robert would have two new beauties to count among his wives & lovers, fully turned & waiting for their own feasts.

He would have damned The Hermit himself, had he been able to do so easily. No, he had chosen to take this form today, this hour, not knowing the girls had been on the estate. No, if he desired one, he & Robert would simply have to share. And indeed the shyer, dark-haired beauty already haunted their mind, awakened a delicious need in Heston’s entire being, & intrigued the Hermit’s sensitive intuition. Both of them desired to see the girl, & they would do so, whether Robert liked it or not.

...

Robert led the girls through the door & into the palatial manor which was lit by a litany of candles in in little holders tucked into nooks carved in the wall, chandeliers, candelabras and candlesticks everywhere. It gave the whole place a warm, inviting glow along with a warmth that was only amplified by the fire roaring in the fireplace. He had large, fluffy towels laid out for them of which he grabbed two, handing one to each girl. "Here you are, loves. Care for a spot of tea? Might help you warm up after getting caught in such a dreadful storm."

"Thank you." Came the girl's response in unison. Both were standing still gazing around at their environs in complete shock. Charissa was the first to move slightly, only to pat herself dry with the towel. A slight moan fell from her lips at the feel of the softness of the fabric against her skin, followed by another from Sibby when she did the same.

Robert couldn't help but to grin at that, dimples popping as he laughed. "Feelin better already, eh? Well come, sit." He removed his cloak as well as those of the ladies, chuckling as they promptly covered themselves with their towels, draping them over their shoulders & carefully perching on more towels laid out on a settee opposite him & his large stately chair. He went about pouring their tea to their specifications which they mumbled out while still in a state of shock about it all. It was all very innocent, their surroundings very comforting & their host was nothing if not charming but they still couldn't help but stare at him openly, try as they might to hide it. It led Robert to perk an eyebrow at the two maidens as he handed them their cups. "Hmmm? What? What is it? Is there something on my face? I certainly hope not?" He teased with a smile, feeling around his cheeks, patting them playfully.

"No!" Again the response came in unison. Before they traded off every few words. Sibby first. "No, it's... It's not that... It's... It's just..." And then Charissa. "...She thinks you look like someone... Someone quite familiar..."

"Oh?" Robert tilted his head. "Someone you know?" And then his eyes fell to the books clutched in their little hands. Ah-ha!

"I see... Interested in the Kashmirites are you? Is that how you found yourselves here? Seeking things related to the Order? Counts? Count Kidderminster? Lord Kidderminster and all?"

The replies were now mixed. Sibby was seemingly contrite, ashamed at her inquisitive nature, her nosiness. She dropped her head & nodded, admitting in a small voice. "Yes..." Charissa was nothing if not firm however, shaking her head. "No!" Then taking her contrite friend's admission into account she relayed the following to the now snickering blonde man. "She was. I just came as a tagalong so she wouldn't be alone."

Robert nodded thoughtfully, still with a trace of the teasing smirk on his lips. "I see. And would that be who you think I resemble by any chance, dears? Ah! Now that I think of it... I've never even asked your name! How dreadfully rude of me! Please forgive me... Praytell what are your names, ladies?"

He finally got his answer as to who the maidens - who he was fighting the urge to lick his lips as he took in the sight of them in those damp, filmy white frocks which clung to them just so - were. It was only fair that he caught their names since he was currently contemplating them as prospective bed partners. He got a "Charissa." From the shy brunette. And a "Sibella." From the curious blonde. The brunette growing curious herself, only enough to ask the obvious. "And you are~?..."

Robert couldn't help but grin at that. As his grin peaked, another clap of thunder sounded startling the two girls into jumping into each other's arms with a shriek. Robert felt his urges rising. That was the cause of the thunder. His deep seated urges were awakening to them. Senses on high. He hungered for them. Both of them. Their innocence. Their energy. Their pureness. Pure energy. Purity both of heart & of spirit. It intoxicated him. He swore he could smell it.

He got a scent of peaches and cherries from them. Mingled with that was a hint of apples and lemons. Signs that they belonged here? Were meant to be here? He wasn't exactly sure. He'd worry about that later. Maybe he'd ask Pagey later.

But wait...

PAGEY!...

The storm...

The way it started...

Grew so intense so soon...

Centering over his house...

His castle...

High above the one tower in the center...

The one that contained the library...

The library that contained Pagey & that one mysterious tome of his...

The library which was now emitting strange energies to him...

Pagey always had a strange energy to him...

But this...

This here...

This...

This was different...

This was...

This was...

This was like Pagey but on a whole new level!

He couldn't put his finger on it but the vibrations that Pagey was now emitting were strange... Too strange...

Even for him...

And it all started with the arrival of these girls...

Thinking back he realized the window from the library also faced out towards the pond that the girls had frolicked in...

Had Pagey seen them too?

He found himself laughing internally at the question. A bittersweet laugh that turned into a low growl of a single word spoken under his breath as he grit his teeth & balled his fist up, sending back an energy of his own, protective, defensive & yes even a bit greedy towards his newfound houseguests.

The word. Simple. It was a place.

A place that he wished a certain dark haired friend of his were still residing in just then. Preferably locked away in a different tower in a different castle at that. Or even dungeon knowing his reputation.

"Heston..."